Blood Flows Black
by Crimso
Summary: Maebara Keiichi has lived a boring life, not caring about anything, grades aside. But that all changes when he moves to Onigafuchi, a village infested with demons. There, he experiences the most horrifying adventure of his life, one stained with blood.MXK
1. Prologue

**Crimso's Notes:**

**Hello, and welcome to the first edition of Crimso's Notes! Now you may be wondering, what's Crimso's Notes? Well, since this is an AU, I put notes here that can clear a few things up for you. So let's start out with this.**

**1: This fanfiction is in no way related to Green-Eyed Demon, though some elements are shared.**

**2: This is an AU fanfiction, and the main difference here is that Onigafuchi never changed its name to Hinamizawa. As such, old customs are still in use, like the old Watanagashi festival.**

**3. This Fanfiction is MionXKeiichi.**

**4. Updates may be irregular, more so than GED, due to the amount of time I have to finish this fanfiction.**

**Well with that, let's go!**

~~~~~X~~~~~

**_Blood Flows Black_**

The loud and rather obnoxious sounds of a rushing car ripped through the normally peaceful air like thunder. A young boy with messy brown hair glanced to his side, to the street that was usually abandoned by all life. Not many people came this way, which is why the sound of a car was rather startling to him. Realizing that it wasn't much of a threat at all, the boy turned around and continued on his way down the alley, holding a model gun at his waist side. He grinned sadistically at the thought of shooting another person with that fake gun, and hearing their surprised gasps and cries of pain. Even if it wasn't a real gun, it still hurt to be shot by it, after all.

Small, echoing footsteps could then be heard by the boy. Quickly, he dashed into the shadows, trying to make himself invisible to the person walking by. If they knew that he was the cause of the recent model gun shootings, he would surely be in a heap of trouble he knew he didn't want to go through. He kept his body perfectly still as he stared at the man that walked by, taking absolutely no notice of the boy hidden in the shadows.

After confirming that the figure had disappeared, the boy continued on his way through the alley. Hopefully he'd run into someone to shoot, hopefully an innocent young child that would be unable to defend his or her self. That was the kind he liked to shoot best, because they were usually the ones that would scream out in shock. He liked to hear them scream, to hear them panic because of a single shot he had made with his model gun. It was all too thrilling for him.

Glancing about the area to make sure that nobody else was there; he dashed off to a more populated area, hoping to find a child that was all alone, with no one to defend them. He let out a sigh as he pushed his back up against a darkened wall; waiting for someone to come so he could shoot them. He twirled his gun in one hand, bored. He didn't want to have to wait. He just wanted them to come so that he could experience the thrill of injuring someone once again.

It wasn't that he found pleasure in someone else's pain. What really got him was the idea that he was being feared, that he was the bad guy in this situation. It was like a movie to the boy. He was the bad guy, who everyone was scared of, who no one could defeat. He was the more powerful one in this situation. It was like an adventure, something that the boy thought he needed more of.

There was really nothing in this old city. Sure, many people from around the world wanted to visit it for its sights, but the boy was unable to see what was so great about it. All he had done in his life was sit down in school and study for tests. His teachers and his parents had praised him, and at that time, that had been enough for him. However, that did not last. He had begun to grow bored of the city life, bored of studying every single hour of the day. He needed something in his life… something to make it less boring…

And now, he had something exciting in his life. Many children were now being told to travel home in groups because of fear that this boy would come out and shoot them, injuring them. Of course, it wasn't like he hurt them too badly. It was just a slight sting, but it sure made the boy happy. He loved the idea of being feared.

"Come on, now… someone should be coming at any time," he whispered to himself as he held the fake gun a little higher.

He felt as if he were in an action movie now. He had seen many movies in his life, and found them to be the only thing he appreciated in life. Seeing the bad guys and the good guys fight with epic movies and the most advanced, extraordinary weapons was thrilling. And now, here he was, in his own little action movie, in which he was the bad guy, targeting little kids who now feared him.

Thinking a little deeper into his role in the action movie he pretended to be in, he remembered something he had long forgotten about, something that may have been keeping him from going further into this so-called movie. The boy's parents were a huge fan of the horror genre, and got him to watch some horror movies and read some horror books. He was never a fan of them, however. Some of them were just completely messed up. In fact, these horror books scared him to death. He hated the idea of gruesome murder and violence, which was probably why he hadn't gone berserk on his victims yet. Then, it would be no different from the horror books that he feared so much. He was just doing this for the thrill, after all. The last thing he wanted to become was a psychotic murderer, like in those books he read.

He shook his head. This was just a game, his own little action movie. He didn't need to think about where it could lead. Those horror books were just too much for him, too much for him to want to remember. He clenched his teeth at the memory, and his grip on the model gun tightened. Right now, he had to focus on his victim. His victim could be appearing at any time, after all.

Soon enough, a group of children walked by, all of them looking around with a look of fear in their eyes. He let a smirk grow on his face as he sensed the terror within him, knowing for a fact that they were scared of _him._ And in his mind, he thought that they had every reason to be scared of him. He loved the look of fear in their eyes; it made him feel that much more powerful. He didn't even need a real gun to do this much damage to them!

He turned his body and raised the model gun in the air as he prepared to shoot. He had to make a quick escape, as he knew it was highly possible to get caught in this situation. As quick as he could, he fired a shot at one of the kids, then moving to the next kid, and then the next kid, and then the next. He didn't get a chance to look at their surprised faces. The next thing the boy knew, he was running away as fast as he could, his figure still engulfed in the darkness of the alley. Luckily, their startled cries were loud enough for the boy to hear, causing him to grin with his victory.

_And so, the evil villain leaves with four victims injured! Where shall he strike next? No one knows!_ the boy thought as he continued to run. He grinned as he looked behind him, just to make sure that no one was following him or had seen him. He had once again made a perfect escape, with no one catching sight of him.

Letting out a sigh, he sat down against the alley's walls. He had gotten four people today, and that was enough for now. Unfortunately, he had been hoping to break his record of six kids in one day, but it seemed as if that wasn't possible. Shooting those kids was a huge risk. He felt beat.

With another sigh, he stood up. He glanced to his side, staring at the small blue bag that hung from his shoulder. With a quick motion, the boy opened the bag and put the gun in. He had to go home soon, or his parents might question what he had been doing. The boy zipped the bag up and repositioned it so that it was more secure on his shoulder. No one would ever suspect a thing. No one would ever guess that it was him that had shot the children. He was probably one of the least suspected kids.

However, just as he was about to leave the alley, he froze. He could have sworn he just heard small footsteps coming from nearby, footsteps too light to belong to an adult. Turning only his head around, he spotted a young child walking his way, her head positioned downwards as she glanced at the stone beneath her. The boy couldn't help but grin as he saw her. He had finished for today, but that girl was just too easy of a target. How could he leave her unharmed?

Glancing at his bag one more time, he jumped back behind a garbage can, into the shadows. As fast as the boy could, he took the model gun out of the bag and portioned it once again. He had to make this quick, his parents would be worried about him if he wasn't home soon. He let out a grin as he directed the gun directly above the girl's stomach. He could feel the pressure on his shoulders to get home, but he knew that he had to take this girl down. It was just too easy! This girl was a fool for walking all by herself in an alley! She deserved it!

Just as he was about to fire, however, he thought he saw the girl glance his way and he stumbled. The position of his gun shifted and he accidently fired out of shock. The next thing he heard was the girl screaming and yelling as loud as she could, clutching her right eye.

The boy could sense an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He had never shot anyone in the eye before. He had only ever aimed for the stomach or the forehead, but certainly not the eye! Panic arose in him as he watched the girl cry out in pain, holding onto her eye. He could see clear tears leaking down her face, and for once in his life, the boy felt terrible for person he had injured.

Then, the boy remembered something. Once, in a horror book his mom had forced him to read, a demon clawed her former's friends eye out, causing her to scream and cry out in pain and horror. The scene before him was no different. Here, he was the demon who had taken someone's eyesight away, and the girl was the poor, helpless friend. His action movie had suddenly turned dark. He was never supposed to hurt someone this badly! The boy thought about whether or not he should help the little girl, but his mind was all confused and in a mess from the incident. If he were to help her, then he would reveal himself to her! Then they'd all know whom the boy who had been shooting people was, and he would get in a heap of trouble. But at the same time, he'd feel like a monster if he didn't help that girl! He'd be just like the demon in that story, not even bothering to help the person he had just injured.

Maybe this whole action movie wasn't right for him. He was too soft on the inside to be a villain, to continue on with this story. Giving one more glance to the screaming girl, he knew that he had to get out of there. He couldn't stand hearing her scream any longer. Quicker than ever before, the boy stuffed the model gun into his bag and took off, without giving a second thought. He couldn't get in trouble, even if he knew it was causing that girl pain. There wasn't much he could do about it, anyways. What was done was done.

The boy quickly made his way to his house. He practically slammed the door open, his eyes wide with terror at what he had just done. Playing villain was a stupid thing to do. He should have known that his actions would lead to such a terrible mistake.

"Hello, Keiichi!" cried his rather eccentric father as he looked up from the book he was reading. "Are you in a rush for any particular reason?"

The boy glanced over to his father, trying to relax his expression to make himself look a little calmer. "H-Homework… big test," he managed to lie, though his voice was shaking and stuttering, so it was quite obvious that he had made that up on the spot.

His mother, who had also been reading, gave her son a worried look. "Keiichi, is that really it? You never act this way when a test comes around. You're always… much more calm," she spoke.

The brown-haired boy, named Keiichi, bit his lip. He knew that his lie was obvious, but what was he going to tell his parents? He didn't want to admit to them about the whole incident with the model gun, but he knew that his previous lie had fell flat and there really wasn't any other reason the Keiichi his parents thought they knew would look so freaked out. "Uh… there really is a test. And I have to study! You know what will happen to me if I fail this test, so see ya!"

Without letting his parents speak another word, Keiichi dashed up the stairs and slammed the door to his room shut. He pressed his back against the door, as if to prevent anyone else from getting in. He was breathing heavier than ever before, a look of pure horror painted on his face. If he saw himself in a mirror, Keiichi would probably doubt that the reflection belonged to him. He never imagined that he'd have such an expression on his face.

But what was he to do now? He had injured a little girl, and he had to take responsibility. Otherwise, he'd be just like the demon in the book. He bit his lip as he walked away from the door carefully, moving to a cabinet located on the side of the room. With a swift move, he opened the cabinet and grabbed a box that was inside it, the one that his model gun had come in. Then boy reached inside the box and grasped onto the manual inside it, which included how to use it as well as safety warnings.

Keiichi quickly flipped to the page inside the manual that had information on injuries caused by the model gun. Scanning over a few unimportant details, he finally reached a single sentence, the single sentence he was looking for.

"WARNING: Shooting someone in the eye can cause blindness."

At that moment, Keiichi knew. He had done something beyond what he had intended to with his little action movie. Sure, model gun pellets hurt, but they never really caused severe, permanent damage. On the other hand, hitting someone in the eye, like he had accidently done, causes damage forever. He bit his lip as he let the reality of his actions sink in. This was not an action movie, with fictional characters, actors, and special effects. This was real life. What was done was done, and the damage he had done to that girl could not be undone.

He dropped the manual to the ground, looking down at his feet with an unreadable emotion on his face. Then, he turned himself around and walked towards the door, not even bothering to pick up the manual or the model gun's box. What did it matter, anyways? He had to tell someone about what he had done; otherwise he'd feel guilty for the rest of his life. First, he knew he had to talk to his parents. They were most certainly aware of the recent model gun shootings, but neither of them had ever suspected that their son was the culprit. Now, Keiichi knew he had to break the news to them.

When he came downstairs with a dark look on his face, his parents instantly knew something was horribly wrong. Their son never looked like that. Usually, he was cheery about getting a good grade on an assignment or rather serious, especially when it came around to studying and school matters. There actually wasn't much he talked about aside from school, really.

"Keiichi, is there something wrong? You look awfully… dark," his mother commented, observing his face with a worried look on her own.

He could only nod.

His father raised an eyebrow. "Come, Keiichi, you're never like this," he told him, patting the spot next to him on the couch, as if telling him to come and sit down next to him.

Keiichi obeyed his father, and sat right down next to him on the couch with his bangs shadowing his eyes. Where was he to begin? He opened his mouth to try to speak, but no words came out. Either he couldn't think of the words, or the words just refused to come out. He couldn't figure it out. Deciding it was just better to keep his mouth shut, Keiichi bit down on his lip and simply waited for his parents to say something. Perhaps that would make things a little easier.

His mother let out a large sigh. "Well, Keiichi?"

Keiichi's teeth remained on his lip and he said nothing.

"Does this have to do with school, Keiichi?" his father asked him. "Although, Keiichi, you've never gotten this upset over school before. You're usually nice and calm about it."

Keiichi shook his head. Words failed him once again.

"Well then, what is it? You… you know, you've never really talked to us about anything aside from school before," his father asked him, curiosity in his eyes as he stared at his son's dark expression. Never in his life had he imagined his son with that kind of expression on his face.

Keiichi knew that they weren't just going to guess what was wrong. Neither of them suspected that he was the cause of the model gun shootings, and such would never come to their heads. It just didn't seem like the Keiichi they knew. So that meant that he would be the one to tell them, he'd have to tell them with words. He opened his mouth, trying to force words out of his mouth. But what was he to say? Where was he to start? Should he start telling them about how he got bored of school, or should he just cut it and confess that he was the one who did all the incidents? He didn't know.

"Well, Keiichi?" asked his mother.

The pressure was just too much. He knew he needed to tell them, but he couldn't spit it out. Glancing from his mother to his father, he opened up his mouth to try to speak. Still, he didn't know what to tell them.

"Just tell us!" cried his dad.

"I did it," Keiichi spoke, not allowing himself to think anymore deeply into the matter.

His parents blinked at him in confusion. "Did what?"

Keiichi clenched his fists. "I did it! I did everything! I was the one who shot the kids! I was the one with the model gun! I was!" he cried out. He could sweat trickling down from his forehead. He felt as if he was going to die of shame at any moment, and he shut his eyes so he couldn't see his parents' disappointed faces. He practically blocked out any sound. He knew his parents would scold him, and he knew his punishment would be severe.

Silence followed, silence that only made the boy feel more tension in the air. His eyes remained shut, and his fists remained clenched tight.

"Keiichi…" his father finally spoke. "Why?"

He shook his head as fast as he could. "I don't know! I was just so bored of school, and so bored of getting good grades, that I felt like I needed some more excitement in my life! I-I thought that I could create my own little action movie in my head, and I thought that I could make my life more adventurous and exciting if I did it! B-But then I shot this girl in the eye, and then… oh gosh, I don't know!" he blurted out all at once, allowing the words to flow out of his mouth without even thinking about it.

More silence followed.

"Keiichi," his father's voice said, "I'm disappointed…"

Keiichi just nodded his head, a few tears coming out of his eyes. "I know, dad, I know you're disappointed in me. I'm disappointed in myself…" he said, his voice shaky and rough. "I'm sorry…"

"No," his father spoke, startling the young boy and causing him to look up at his dad with curiosity in his eyes. "That's not what I meant. I meant that I'm disappointed in _myself,_" he explained to his son.

"W-Wha-"

"How long have you been like this, Keiichi?" his mother asked.

Keiichi glanced towards her mom, seeing that she didn't have a single bit of anger in her eyes. "…I don't remember when it started. Maybe it was a month or two ago…"

His father sighed, placing a single hand on his own forehead and rubbing his temples. "…Then I should have noticed a long time ago. I'm a failure as a father," he murmured to himself.

His mother gave him a sorrowful look. "This is our fault, Keiichi. We… we should have known that you weren't happy with just good grades. After all… no child is truly happy with just that."

Keiichi was stunned, to say the least. He thought that his parents would scold him and give him harsh looks, but this was the opposite. Why weren't they treating him like that? Didn't he deserve worse? He looked down at his feet as he tried to understand. It wasn't that he was unhappy with the outcome. He'd rather have this than being punished severely any day. He was just shocked.

"Listen, Keiichi, you go to your room. Your Father and I will figure this out," his mother said, kindness in her eyes. "We'll come up with some way to make sure you aren't bored… and to put more adventure in your life."

Keiichi simply nodded and obeyed. His parents would figure things out for him. He didn't need to dwell on the matter any longer. All he had to do now was to stop shooting the model gun and return to his normal life until his parents could decide on something to bring more adventure in his life. Surely they could come up with some way. They were his parents, after all.

Grumbling, he threw himself on his futon and went over what he had to study for math. Surely, his parents would come up with a way to make his life more exciting than doing math homework every day. He was sure of that.

However, what Keiichi didn't know was that the adventurous life his parents were about to give him was much, much more than what he imagined.

~~~~~X~~~~~

A few days had passed since the incident with his parents, and Keiichi had returned to his boring life of homework and studying. He was currently seated on his futon, scribbling down the answers to his math homework. He let out a sigh of boredom as he worked on a particularly easy problem. There really was no fun in tests, and the praises were now getting really old. He dropped his pencil down on the paper, having finished the problem, and then stood up.

He walked down the stairs, perhaps to get something to eat from the kitchen. He wasn't really sure what he was doing. He just wanted to get away from his homework for a little bit before he started up on his other assignment. Mumbling to himself, he opened up the refrigerator and took a look inside of it. There really wasn't much to eat.

"Hey! Keiichi!" his father called out to him, wearing a particularly excited grin on his face, strangely strong for even him.

"Hey, Dad. You look awfully happy," he commented as he closed the refrigerator.

His mother smiled happily at him, though hers seemed a little less intense. "Keiichi, come sit down with us. We have some news to share with you."

Curious, Keiichi nodded and went to sit down on the couch next to his father. He glanced from his mother to his father, wondering to himself what they had to talk to him about.

His father's grin grew wider, if that was even possible. "Well, your mother and I have come up with something to keep you entertained and give you an adventure for the rest of your life!" he cried out.

Keiichi looked rather calm as he announced the news. His father was probably just exaggerating, like usual.

"We're moving!" his father cried out, throwing his arms up in the air and spreading them wide apart to emphasize the surprise.

Keiichi blinked at them, shock on his face. "_What?_" he gasped in disbelief. He had always lived in this dirty old city. Of course moving away would give him an adventure, maybe for a few days as he tried to figure out his way around town and perhaps meeting a few new people, but moving away just so he could find such a small adventure seemed a little like they were overdoing it.

His mother smiled at him. "I know, I know, it's quite a shock, but it's surely a place where you could have fun. After all, you said you wanted to have a real adventure, like your own little action movie, right?" she said, her tone soft. "This is surely a place where you'll have an adventure."

Keiichi didn't seem all that convinced. "What city are we moving to, Mom, Dad?" he asked them both, turning to look at his dad in the eyes before returning his gaze to his mother once again.

His father gave him a mischievous grin. "Son, we aren't moving to a city!" he cried out.

"Excuse me?" he spoke, glancing at his father briefly to show him the surprise clearly visible in his sapphire-blue eyes. He had always lived in the city. Was he suggested that they were going to move to the country?

His mother giggled. "Onigafuchi," she spoke.

Keiichi turned to stare at his mother, his eyes growing wide when he heard her. "Can you repeat that, mom? Did you really just say we're moving to a town called 'Demon's Abyss?'" he spoke with disbelief.

"THAT'S RIGHT, SON!" laughed his dad as he gave his son a hearty pat on the back. "We're going move to Onigafuchi, the town of the demons! They say that that place is infested by demons, and we're going to go move there and find out for ourselves! In a town said to be cursed like that, you're sure to have a great little adventure!"

The boy could feel himself freeze to his seat. The town's name meant Demon's Abyss, and it was infested with demons. Sure, it was interesting, but that was not a place where he could make an action movie! If he were to make his own little movie in his head there, it would be a horror movie, in which the main character dies horribly after being torn apart by crazed demons! That was one he didn't want to experience, for sure.

Then he remembered the story about the demon, the one where a demon tore her friend's eye out, and went insane. Demons were horrifying, dreadful creatures with no sense of humanity or emotions. He would surely die if he went there! Were his parents really going to risk that, just for a little adventure?

His father laughed again. "Well, son, let me tell you something. You'll get used to it when you move there, and besides," he looked at his son directly in his eyes, without a single trace of fear in his, "demons don't exist."

Still, he couldn't bring himself to feel any better about the situation. He was sure to die.

"Well, well! Your mother and I have to make some preparations, so let's get going, Aiko!" he spoke, hopping up from the couch with glee. "Keiichi, don't worry, just trust your daddy on this one!" he said, shooting his son a huge grin.

Keiichi paid no attention to him. He was still lost in his own thoughts.

"All right, Ichirou," his mother said, standing up from her chair as well. "And Keiichi, please don't be afraid. It'll make a great adventure!" she spoke, smiling with kindness and joy Keiichi would doubt to see from someone who was about to move to a haunted village.

"Maybe for you guys," Keiichi whispered under his breath as his parents walked away.

Still, he was afraid. What if demons really existed, and what if he was really going to die there? He gulped, playing with the collar of his shirt. This could be fatal for him.

And at that moment, he was sure. He didn't want to get into the adventure his parents were about to give him, even if it _was_ more exciting than doing homework.

~~~~~X~~~~~

**Crimso's Corner V.2:  
>Hello, and welcome to Crimso's Corner V.2. First of all, if you don't know me, I'm Crimso. I like HIgurashi, I like MionXKeiichi, I like writing fanfiction, and I like eating ice cream. The last is irrelevant, by the way. You probably do already know me, but if you don't you should check out Green-Eyed Demon. It's another fanfiction I wrote, and it's awesome. Speaking of which, you probably noticed that I said that some elements were shared, and probably have a few more questions regarding other things. So let me clear some things up for you.<strong>

**Q: What are the shared elements? A: Well, demons. Onigafuchi was known as a village infested by demons. This is why I was hesitant to write this story, since people who read GED are probably sick of demons.**

**Q: What different about Crimso's Corner V.2? A: Nothing at all! It just makes it sound cool!**

**Q: Why are you saying that updates will be irregular? A: With GED, I was rushing to finish it because, as some of you know, I had camp for a month and did not want to leave GED unfinished. It's September right now. I have more than enough time until June. That aside, BFB is **_**PROBABLY**_** going to be shorter than GED. 20-30 chapters is the estimate.**

**Well, that was long for a prologue! Gee, now I'm sort of glad my computer isn't allowing me to access my old documents. It was a lot different the first time I wrote it. Not that that's bad. It's much, much better now. And yes, I could make made that more than the prologue. It could have been two chapters long if I wanted it to! So you're probably thinking, "Crimso, why not just make it two chapters long and not have a prologue?" Well, I didn't want to focus on this too much. You didn't want to see two chapters of that, now did you? You're probably wanting to meet Onigafuchi. Well yes, I am too, so there. And this fic would feel incomplete without a prologue. **

**And now, I have a request for you all. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, **_**PLEASE, **__**PLEASE **_**review. It may sound like I'm begging, which I am, but really, you should. It only takes a few seconds for you to press the review button, write a comment, and then press submit. Of course, longer ones are appreciated, but as long as you review, I'm happy. Why should you? Because if I don't get reviews, I get upset, and then I won't update BFB. Ever. No, seriously. It's important you review. So, review this prologue! You get a model gun for reviewing the prologue. And also, an extra one if you point out any typos.**

**With that, I hope you enjoy the world of **_**Blood Flows Black!**_

**~Crimso.**


	2. Chapter 1: Onigafuchi

**Crimso's Notes:  
>1. Do bear in mind that, while the buildings and area and such of HinamizawaOnifaguchi are similar, characters are quite different due to the amount of changes.**

**2. Characters won't be all that different… mostly.**

**3. Keep in mind I have a few OCs for my story, though I'm trying to cut down on them.**

**4. Some of the murders of the Chain of Mysterious Deaths didn't occur. You'll figure out which ones did and which ones didn't.**

~~~~~X~~~~~

**Chapter 1: Onigafuchi**

A rather small bus dashed down the paths leading to a rather small village, just barely visible from its current location. A young boy leaned back in his seat with a sigh, glancing to look out the window, watching as the trees flew by. His parents were chatting happily about their new village, and about the adventures they were going to have there. He, on the other hand, was regretting every single second of his life. He knew for a fact that the village he was going to be moving to was no good, and his parents did too, it's just that they didn't believe.

"Ah, Aiko! Don't you think that we will have quite the adventure here?" the boy's father asked, jabbing the woman who sat next to him in the stomach with his elbow.

"I'm sure it'll be nicer than they say it is," she spoke, smiling at her husband.

Keiichi rolled his eyes at them and returned to looking out the window, knowing that he was to meet his doom in a few days, if not, less than a few days. For starters, the village they were moving to was called "Demon's Abyss," which was not a place that any normal person would go near. However, his parents, who were huge fans of the horror genre, were expecting a great adventure.

_Yeah right. They're just walking towards their doom, _Keiichi thought to himself as he stared at the village in the distance. From there, it just seemed like any old village, one with kind villagers and no supernatural horrors. However, the boy in the bus knew better. The moment he stepped on that demon-infested ground, he was going to be walking on the grounds he would die on. He bit his lip as he imagined the horrors awaiting him in his new home. Were there really demons? And if there were really demons, what did they look like?

He pictured a horrid monster in his head, one with a reptilian head and claws sharper than knives. It had fangs like daggers, and a body of a sickly green color, along with two red eyes that seemed to pierce right through his soul. He shivered at the image, and shook his head to erase it from his head forever. He hoped that they wouldn't look like that, if demons really did exist in Onigafuchi. He gulped as he played with the collar of his white school shirt, wondering to himself he would even encounter something like that.

Were demons a common species there, or were they seen every once in a while, just wandering the place in search of a human snack? He didn't know, and a part of him didn't want to find out the answer to that. If anything, he'd like to be curled up on his soft futon back in his house located in the city. He was sure that he wouldn't be able to sleep here, fearing that a demon would come into his house and gobble him up.

"Hey, Keiichi, we're almost there! Are you excited or what?" his father asked, shooting him a large grin that seemed a little too happy to Keiichi.

"Yeah, sure," he muttered, looking back out the window. Maybe he'd spot a demon if he looked hard enough.

His mother looked a little worried, but more for her son's sake than her own. "Listen, Keiichi, it's going to be a ton of fun. Just remember that demons don't actually exist and you'll get along in this village just fine! Besides, I'm sure you'll meet a few friends at your school," she spoke, her tone warm as usual.

Keiichi could only look at her out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to get distracted from his hunt for demons. He had never had friends before, not even once in his life. How could he make friends if he hadn't had any before? He didn't know how to, for the most part. Besides, all the people he had met before weren't very nice to him, mocking him for being too obsessed with school. How were the people in Onigafuchi? Were they really all that different? He highly doubted it. They were probably psychos, if they were anything. He would surely be ostracized for being an outsider, and would be stared at for being different from them. Perhaps the people who went to school were actually demons. Perhaps all the _villagers_ were actually demons.

"Perhaps you're being a little paranoid about this, Keiichi," his father suggested, patting him on the head when he saw his rather frightened expression as they got closed to the village. "I'm sure that the kids in the village will be perfectly nice to you, and I can assure you that there are no demons here. Such things can't actually exist."

His mother frowned. "Keiichi, in some mystery books, they make it seem like there's some kind of supernatural force behind the murders. However, in the end, it's always revealed to be a trick by a human. This is the same thing, Keiichi. I know that you're a little scared, but I promise you that you'll do fine here," she reassured him, shooting him a warm smile. "If there were really demons, do you think that I'd want to move here? I only want the best for my dear son. Just remember these words when you get scared, all right?"

As much as Keiichi tried to believe in those words, he found that a part of him wouldn't accept it. He simply nodded at her, deciding that he'd have to take a good look at the village for himself before he decided on anything. He mumbled a few words to himself as he noticed that the bus was about a three minutes away from a bus stop. He knew that his end was coming.

An old man who sat in a seat near them was eyeing the family suspiciously, listening to their conversation. He looked shocked when he heard them speak about their new adventures in the village they were going to be moving to, his eyes wider than plates. "Are you crazy?" he asked them. "Don't you know about the demons? Those things are so monstrous and terrifying! My son had to go to the hospital when a demon ripped his ear off!" he cried out.

His father raised an eyebrow. "Interesting story there, old man. How much of it is true?" he asked him. "The old tales of Onigafuchi do not scare me! I'm sure that demons don't actually exist!"

The old man looked startled. "But I'm not lying! My son-!"

"Please don't scare my son with such stories," Keiichi's mother spoke, smiling at him. "I'm sure it wasn't a demon."

The old man didn't say any more, he simply looked at them like they were crazy and returned to the book he had been reading before he caught sight of them. He mumbled a few things to himself about a demon, but Keiichi tried his best to ignore him.

"Oh, Keiichi! We're here!" his father called excitedly.

The bus suddenly halted, surprising Keiichi, but mostly scaring him. He knew that he wouldn't be exiting this village, and he knew that he was doomed. His parents looked strangely happy, though, as they grabbed their bags containing clothing and jumped out of the bus as fast as they could. Keiichi was a little more hesitant. He was thinking of just staying on that bus until it went elsewhere. He had enough clothing to do, anyways. However, he knew for a fact that he couldn't do that. He grabbed his bag and stumbled out of the bus, looking down at the ground beneath him.

"Ah, the air is so fresh here!" breathed his father. "I can just taste how wonderful this place is!"  
>Keiichi rolled his eyes.<p>

His mother nodded in agreement. "This is such a wonderful village. I can tell you that all ready!"  
>Keiichi grumbled and kicked the ground. This was the ground of his new village, a village he knew he wasn't going to get along well in. He knew his life was going to take a turn for the worst. If he were to be eaten by demons here, he was sure he'd rather be back at home studying for math tests.<p>

"Ah, you're the newcomers, aren't you!" a rather rough, old voice called out to them. Keiichi's vision was torn off the ground as he turned to look at the source of the voice, a rather old man with a cheesy grin on his face.

"Yes we are!" cried his father. "I'm Maebara Ichirou, and this is my wife, Maebara Aiko," he explained to the old man, gesturing to his wife. "And this here is my son, Maebara Keiichi!" he cried out, pointing towards a rather un-excited Keiichi.

The old man grinned. "Well, my name is Hiroshi, and I'll be the one guiding you guys today!" he spoke, sticking out his boney, shriveled hand for Keiichi's father to shake.

He took it, grinning. "It's nice to meet you, Hiroshi! And thank you in advance for showing us around your village!"

He laughed. "Ah, it's no problem, no problem at all! This place is small, but you don't want to get lost!" he spoke.

_Why don't we want to get lost? Will we get eaten? _Keiichi thought.

Keiichi's mother smiled. "I'm sure of that!"

"First of all, you're probably wondering where your house is. Well, it's right this way, so just follow this old man right here and I'll take you to your new home!" he cried out in his rough voice. Keiichi's parents exchanged grins as they followed the old man up the dusty path, both of them chattering about how different the place was from their old location.

Meanwhile, Keiichi was lost in thought. Would he really be okay here, like his mother said? Her words echoed in his mind, and he had to question whether or not she was right. _Maybe there are no demons. Maybe…_

"Well, this old place might seem a little bit worn, but this village sure is lively!" laughed Hiroshi as he pointed towards various houses, all decorated in a very old style. "We have two thousand whole people living in this village, and with you, we have more! I'm sure you'll be able to find some nice people, and some friends for your young son over there," he spoke, turning to look at Keiichi with a jolly grin that made him shudder.

"He's sixteen," his mother spoke as she walked along side the old man. "Are there any people his age around here?"

The old man scratched his head for a little bit. "Oh yes! There are three young kids around his age living in this old village, so I'm sure he'll be able to make friends with them! All three of them are lively and sure to make great buddies!" he spoke, once again glancing at the worried teenage boy behind him.

"I'm so glad!" cried his mother, turning to smile at her son. "You see, Keiichi, all the kids are really nice here! You'll be sure to make friends with those three, and perhaps even some younger kids!"

Hiroshi burst out laughing once again, causing Keiichi to cringe. This guy sure was friendly, wasn't he? "Well, the young ones are quite lively too! They're incredibly friendly, and they would make great friends also! Especially Furude Rika, she's one girl who happens to be friends with all the kids!" he spoke. "She's only nine years old, too! That just goes to show you have friendly these people are!"

Keiichi narrowed his eyes at the old man as his back was turned. He _was_ rather friendly, so were the other people like him, too? He didn't seem to be a demon of any sort, nor did he seem to be troubled by the supposed presence of demons. It made him wonder if there really _were_ creatures like demons wandering around Onigafuchi.

"Well, well! We're almost to your house, so you better tell me what you think of the village so far!" Hiroshi spoke to Keiichi's parents, giving them both a merry grin.

"It's certainly different from the city!" cried Keiichi's father. "I can't wait to paint the various scenery, it's going to sell for a ton of money! Ooh, and the buildings too! I cannot forget about the beautiful structures you guys have made!"

Keiichi's mother giggled. "Oh, Ichirou, you and your paintings. I'm sure they're going to sell for a ton of money, but that doesn't matter right now. Take the time to think about something other than painting and just enjoy the fresh air!" she scolded him in a polite tone.

"Ah, sorry my dearest. But you do not understand an artist's inspiration! Whenever I see something, I just have to paint it!" he cried out in a dramatic fashion, throwing his arms up in the air.

Keiichi sighed. His father, as an artist, was going to have a blast painting whatever he could find in the village. The scenery was a lot different than what he usually painted, probably a reason why he wanted to move here in the first place, thrills aside. He decided to take a look around his surroundings for once, instead of looking at the ground and thinking about how he was going to survive in the village. It was strangely old and traditional, but aside from that, there wasn't much that indicated that the village was cursed or anything similar.

"Well, here's your house!" the old man said, pointing towards a rather big house located on a very green area, several trees scattered nearby.

"Thank you, Hiroshi!" His father said. "No, really, thank you so much!"

"It's no problem, no problem at all! The truck with the furniture should be arriving shortly, and until then, how about if I tell you a little bit about Onigafuchi?" he suggested, gesturing towards the door.

His father nodded. "I think it would be good to know quite a bit about the village, don't you think, Aiko?" he spoke, turning to meet the eyes of his wife.

Aiko nodded as well. "Yes. Keiichi, let's go inside."

And so, Hiroshi led them both inside the pretty much empty house, allowing the three new villagers to step inside before he cleared his throat. "You have a rather nice place, I think. It's pretty big compared to most houses in Onigafuchi, so you should feel lucky! I guess most of it is going to be used for your art studio, though, Ichirou-san," he said, looking towards the younger man.

His father stuck up his head proudly. "Mhm! I'm going to be drawing the plants, I'm going to be drawing the houses, I'm going to be drawing the people, I'm going to be drawing the-"  
>"Enough, dad!" Keiichi spoke. "I just want to hear about the village already!"<p>

Hiroshi just laughed his old, hearty laugh. "Ohoho! It looks like someone's rather excited about their new village, hm?" he said before letting out another laugh.

Keiichi grumbled that he wasn't, but such was not picked up on by the old man.

"Well, I can tell you this about the village. We have a population of two thousand people, as I have stated before, and all two thousand people are very friendly and will be willing to help you out if you get lost or need pointers as to where you can buy things and such," he began to explain. "I can assure you that no one will ever turn down your need for help! No one will ever!"

His mother looked pleased. "It's good to have friendly neighbors. I guess that means I won't have a problem finding where to buy things for my cooking!"

His father nodded. "Oh yes! Aiko here is a master chef! She's great at cooking!"

"Is she really?" Hiroshi said, glancing over to the young woman. "Well you will not be disappointed, then! Okinomiya, the city nearby, has all the food you need! There's Hiro's Bakery, the market… there's everything you need! Not only that, but Okinomiya has many places of entertainment for your son, so if he's bored, he could go over to Okinomiya and go to the various entertainment stores they have there."

Keiichi's father nudged him in the stomach. "Isn't that great, Keiichi?" he spoke, shooting his son one of his signature grins.

Keiichi just nodded and said nothing.

"There are also other things you may want to check out before you go anywhere else! First thing is first, the Furude Shrine. The Furude Shrine is a shrine that is owned by the great Furude Family, one that is great and should be worshiped by all of the village!" he cried out, throwing his arms up in the air, as if expressing a rather dramatic point. "The Furude Family is one of the three great families of Onigafuchi, and as I said before, they take care of the great Furude Shrine. It's the rather large, so I suggest that you take a look and be amazed by it! Ohoho, us old folks love showing off the Furude Shrine! It gives us pride, you know?" he spoke, winking at both of them before bursting out laughing.

"Haha! Well in that case, I can't wait to take a look at this Furude Shrine!" laughed his father.

His mother, however, looked a little puzzled. "You said something about the three great families of Onigafuchi… what is that, exactly?" she asked him, her head tilted to the side ever so slightly.

Hiroshi rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, forgive me! I forgot to explain to you about the three great families of Onigafuchi!" he allowed his hand to fall back to his side before began to explain. "You see, there are three families here that have been around since ancient times. They take care and manage Onigafuchi, each of them having a different job. The first one is the Kimiyoshi family, which is led by Kimiyoshi Kiichirou. They are the leaders of the village. The second one is the Furude Family. The Furude Family, as of right now, is being lead by Furude Rika, who is much, much too young to be taking care of such a job," the old man let out a sigh. "Poor thing. Her parents died two years ago, and she's been managing the whole family by herself since."

"That must be a load of work for a girl that small," commented Keiichi's father.

Hiroshi nodded. "Poor, poor little girl. I feel so bad for her. She's much younger than the other heads. Kimiyoshi is rather old, around my age, and he's a good friend of mine. As for the last family… there's the Sonozaki family. They take care of the local festival, and that's really their only purpose," he explained to them. "But… recently… the Sonozaki family has gotten much, much more powerful than the Kimiyoshi family, though some refuse to believe it. I-It's a long story… but they're pretty much in charge now. The head is an old woman by the name of Sonozaki Oryou. She has a terrible temper, so be careful around her…" he looked a little dark. "I… I really shouldn't be saying that, but I'd watch out if I were you… since she has so much power, she can do whatever she wants and… yeah, you don't want to get on her bad side."

Keiichi's father looked over to his wife and nodded. "We'll be careful. We don't want to get on anyone's bad side, seeing as we just moved here and all that."

Hiroshi smiled. "Well in that case, I think you'll do just fine here. Furude Rika… well, she's really nice, and as I've said before, she's friends with anyone. Besides, she's only nine, so there's no reason to be careful around her. Kimiyoshi is incredibly nice as well, so it's only Oryou you need to look out for. All the other villagers are perfectly nice!" he said to them.

"That's great! I'm sure that we're going to get along fine with everyone, and I'm pretty sure that Keiichi here is going to make a lot of new friends, isn't that right, Keiichi?" his father commented, turning to look at Keiichi before winking at him. "You said there were three people his age, right? Well he'll be just fine then! Keiichi's never been into big groups, anyways."

_I haven't been into any groups, Dad, _Keiichi thought to himself. _But perhaps I'll enjoy meeting these new people. Though I can't help but wonder… is this guy really telling the truth, or is he just exaggerating? _He seemed awfully nice to Keiichi, to the point where it was rather suspicious. He kept emphasizing how nice everyone was…. but was that really the truth? Was he keeping a secret from everyone? His parents didn't seem suspicious at all, but Keiichi knew for a fact that something was wrong. It just didn't settle well in his mind. There's no way people in a town called "Demon's Abyss" would be that friendly!

His father ruffled his hair, laughing. "Well, Keiichi will be just fine in this town, I can see! I bet a place like this is just the place that Keiichi needs, right, Keiichi?" he spoke.

_Because every teenage boy needs to live in a town with demons! _Keiichi thought sarcastically.

Hiroshi grinned at the boy. "Well, how about if you take the boy to the school and introduce him to the kids right now? It's the middle of the day, but I'm sure they won't mind taking some time off their homework to greet him and talk to him. After all, kids these days will do _anything_ to get out of work! I'm sure all of them will be friendly to Keiichi and teach him about this place better than I can! It seems as if young ones have an easier time talking to people of their age."

"That sounds like a lovely idea!" his mother agreed, "I'm sure Keiichi is excited to meet his new friends. I think it'll be better for him, more than sitting around in a house bare of furniture."

Keiichi opened his mouth to protest, but he was silenced with his father grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out the door. "Come on, Keiichi! We're going to be heading to your school now, and you'll be able to meet those kids this nice old man here was talking about! Isn't that just so exciting?" he asked, patting his son on the head with his free hand.

"I-" Keiichi tried to protest again.

"Oh hush! You don't need to tell us how excited you are! I can just sense how excited you are from the look on your face!" his father joked, slapping him on the back. His father knew for a fact that if he didn't drag his son there, there was no chance of him going to school. He'd probably just hide upstairs and never come out.

Hiroshi looked down at Keiichi and shot him a friendly smile, one that seemed a little suspicious to Keiichi. Was this guy really just being friendly to him, or was there something deeper behind it? He tried his best not to let his suspicions show on his face as he grinned back at him. "Yeah, I'm excited," he lied.

"That's my boy!" his father laughed. "I'm glad, I'm really glad! Now, shall we go and meet your new classmates?" he asked.

Hiroshi nodded. "I'll take you guys over there, so just follow this old man here and you won't get lost! Ohoho!"

Keiichi gulped as they set off for the school. This school couldn't be all that big, now can it? This was such a large town! And besides, if there really were demons, kids were probably dying all the time! He shook that last thought out of his head. Many people were born and raised here, some of them being rather old like Hiroshi, so it was highly possible that there weren't any demons and it was just a legend. Or perhaps they just knew how to handle demons well. Keiichi wasn't sure, but he decided not to dwell on the matter anymore. He had to focus on the good things.

If Hiroshi wasn't lying, the kids were all really nice. Perhaps he could meet some friends for once, and perhaps he could have an adventure, though hopefully one that didn't turn into some horror movie. He hoped that they would treat him well despite the fact that he was an outsider, something that was probably uncommon in this supposedly haunted, tiny village. He had to wonder what they were like, if they were energetic or shy, if they were the type that would warm up to him right away, or if they were the type that would take a while to warm up to him.

"The school is a rather small one, and it only has one classroom and one teacher," Hiroshi explained to them. "There are around twenty kids, three of which are his age, and a bunch of youngsters. However, as I said before, the really young ones enjoy the company of the older ones. They really look up to them, and they're really friendly towards them, too! In this school, age does not matter one bit!"

"Well that's good! It'll be easier for Keiichi to make friends with less people around," he spoke. "He's better with small amounts of people rather than large amounts. That's why this village is good for him."

_Good for me? What about the part where demons eat people's heads?_ Keiichi thought  
>"I'm glad that you feel that way, Ichirou-san! I enjoy knowing that young children can appreciate the rural scenery. These days, people tend to prefer the busy city. It's sad, really. I've always been a country boy and I'll forever be a country boy! I just think it's just that much nicer around here, compared to the dirty old city!"<p>

"I have to agree. I think that this place is much more nice than the city we used to live in," his mother commented.

_Hello? Am I the only one who remembered the part about the demons? Didn't you say it was supposed to be infested by demons, Mom, Dad? Why are you suddenly forgetting about that! _Keiichi screamed out in his mind, though he knew he couldn't speak such words in front of the old man, seeing as he thought so highly of his village and was treating them so nicely, even if it was a little suspicious.

Suddenly, everyone halted, and Keiichi looked up to see a rather small building. Was this really the school? Sure, it was larger than most of the houses in this old village, but the school looked so small in comparison to his old schools! It looked like it only had four or five rooms at most, along with a hallway. He scratched his head as he observed it. This is where he was to be staying, where he was to be learning about math and all other subjects.

"Well, here it is, young Keiichi-san! This is your new school!" Hiroshi said, pointing to the medium-sized building.

"It's quite small," commented his father, his arms crossed in front of his chest, "but I'm sure that it's perfect for our Keiichi here! Now, Keiichi, aren't you excited?"

"Yes," was all Keiichi said.

Hiroshi smiled. "Good! Then, let's go in and introduce you to Chie-sensei. All the school form have been filled out, I believe," he said, turning to look at the two parents.

"Indeed they have!" replied his father. "So it's all good! I suppose Hiroshi will show you to the teacher's room. So, we'll be off, then!"  
>"Do you know your way from here?" Hiroshi asked, looking a little worried.<p>

Keiichi's mother nodded. "Indeed we do. And if we get lost, we could just ask one of the very friendly villagers, isn't that right?" she spoke, a sweet smile on her face.

The old man let out another laugh. "That's right! I'm glad that you're in understanding of how wonderful these villagers are! So then, I'll see you two!" he called out.

"Goodbye!" both of his parents called, waving.

And as he watched his parents walk away, Keiichi suddenly felt his fear rising. He no longer knew anyone in this area, nor did he know the area itself. Hiroshi was very suspicious, and he could try to pull a trick on him now that his parents were gone. He tried to make his expression calm, but his efforts were in vain. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as his eyes widened and the sound of his breathing increased dramatically.

"Ah, nervous about your new classmates, eh?" Hiroshi spoke to him. "Well you don't have to worry about a thing! Besides, you'll never know until you see them!"

He simply nodded, not telling him the truth behind his sudden nervousness.

"All right then, young one, let's get you to Chie-Sensei! I'm sure that it's around lunch time, so we'll try looking in her office before anything else," he spoke, gesturing for Keiichi to follow him.

The old man entered the building, and the first thing that greeted them was a medium-sized hallway. There were only four rooms. One of the four rooms was the classroom, the other the teacher's room, the other one the girl's bathroom, and the final one the boy's bathroom. Aside from that, there was nothing in this building. Hiroshi walked down the hallway and Keiichi followed him as he observed his new school. It didn't _seem_ too bad, at least. Of course, there was an ominous feel to it, but that just may have been him imagining it, since he was so afraid of this village.

Hiroshi stepped into the teacher's office, and Keiichi decided to wait outside. He heard them chat a little bit about him, and there didn't seem to be much suspicious with their conversation…

"Oh, Hiroshi-san! It's a surprise to see you here!" the teacher's cheerful voice spoke.

"Ohoho! Chie-sensei, you're as young and lively as ever! I've come here to introduce the new kid to you," he explained to him, his old laughter echoing from the room.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting him until tomorrow! But it's wonderful to meet him now! I'm sure the children will be excited. Bring him in!"

Hiroshi stepped out for a moment and grabbed Keiichi by the wrist, startling him. For a moment he thought that they guy was going to perform some kind of fatal trick on him. However, he simply smiled again and tugged him into the teacher's office. He stumbled forward and entered the rather small room, gazing at what was inside it. There were two desks, one for the teacher, and one for the principle, but that was about it. He also noticed that the placed stank strongly of curry, a food that he wasn't very fond of.

"Hello there! Maebara Keiichi-san, isn't it? I'm the teacher, Chie." It's a pleasure to meet you!" the teacher greeted him after she had swallowed her lunch, which was a giant thing of curry. She had rather dark blue hair and emerald green eyes that went really well with the color of her hair, and she wore a giant smile on her face that actually seemed genuine to the boy. She looked too sweet to be anything evil, so Keiichi relaxed a bit.

"Yeah, that's it. I just moved here from the city. It's nice to meet you too, Chie-sensei," he saw, bowing respectfully to her.

She giggled. "Well then, how about if we introduce you to the students here? They're all very nice, so you shouldn't worry about a thing! I'm sure your eager to meet your new classmates and your new friends!" she spoke in her soft, polite tone.

Keiichi nodded, speaking nothing of his fears. "Yeah, I heard from Hiroshi-san here that all the children are very nice, so I look forward to meeting them," he said in the most polite tone he could.

Hiroshi laughed once again. "Yes, yes! I taught you well, young one!" he spoke. "The children here will be so happy to have a new student, I'm sure!"

Chie nodded her head in agreement. "I told them that we were getting a new student earlier, and they all seemed rather excited! I bet they're not expecting him now, though, so it'll probably be a pleasant surprise!" she spoke.

"Yes yes! Now, I don't want to disturb you further, so take young Keiichi-san over to the new kids. He was feeling a littler nervous before, but he's a young one, so he'll be able to warm up to these kids in no time at all! No time at all, I say!"

Chie smiled. "All right then. Thank you, Hiroshi-san, and I hope to see you again sometime soon!" she spoke, waving to him gently.

Hiroshi nodded. "Good bye, Chie-sensei! Good bye, Keiichi-kun!"

And with that, the old man left, and Keiichi relaxed a little bit. His attitude had scared Keiichi slightly, so now that he was gone, he had nothing to worry about. Chie was probably the nicest person in this whole town, and she did not seem to have any kind of evil in her.

"Now, Maebara-san," Chie spoke in a polite tone, "let's go."

She lead him down the hallway until she stopped at a room with loud chattering from kids of all ages coming from inside. She told Keiichi to wait a little bit, and then she stepped into the classroom. Suddenly, everything grew dead silent, and he could hear a few children repositioning their chairs so they could get a better look at her from their seat.

"Class, the transfer student has arrived!" she announced to them with large amounts of glee in her voice.

Keiichi could hear an overload of excited chattering coming from the room. Chie stepped out of the room and gestured for the teenage boy to follow her, which he did.

He felt nervous stepping in the classroom for the first time. What would these people think of him? Would they look down on him for being an outsider? And what if some of them were insane murders in disguise, ready to rip him up and feed him to the demons? He tried not to appear nervous as he stood in front of the classroom with eyes of every single color resting on him.

"Class, this is Maebara Keiichi. He's from the city. Maebara-san, would you like to introduce yourself?" she asked him.

He gulped. "M-My name is Maebara Keiichi, and yes, I am from the city. I just moved here today, and I hope to get along with everyone…" he spoke, not even knowing what he was saying. He just let some words fly out of his mouth, but in truth, there really wasn't much to say about him. He was a boring person before this, and he probably still was in some people's eyes. "So please treat me well... that's all…"

Chie smiled at him before returning her gaze to the class. "Now, class, please treat Maebara-san well, just as he asked for," she spoke to them. She then turned her gaze to a young girl who sat in the back, who promptly gave her teacher a look of surprise. "Ryuuguu-san, if you would introduce him to your friend back there…"

The girl Chie was gazing at looked startled. "Y-Yes, Chie-sensei!"  
>"And with that, class, continue with your lunch!" she announced to them.<p>

And once again, the chatting continued. Chie looked over to Keiichi, giving him a reassuring grin. "Ryuuguu-san will introduce you to her friend over there. She's around your age, and I'm sure you two will get along. She's really friendly, so don't worry about a thing!"

Keiichi nodded, and Chie walked out of the classroom to continue her curry lunch. He gulped as he turned around to face everyone, finding that some people still had their eyes on him. An outsider coming in was rather rare, so Keiichi couldn't blame them. He steadily walked over to the back of the classroom, to where that teenage girl was staring at him. She was supposed to introduce him to people, right?

Taking a good look at her, he also found that there wasn't anything suspicious about her. She seemed to be slightly younger than him, and some people could possibly describe her face as cute. She had hair of a reddish-orange color, and eyes of blue, slightly lighter than his own. He stood in front of her, gazing down at her.

"Hi!" she suddenly spoke, startling him. "My name is Ryuuguu Rena! I'm fifteen-years-old. It's very strange to see a transfer student here, here," she commented, gazing up into his deep blue eyes. "Were you sick of the city, city? Rena's never been to the city."

Keiichi noted that she seemed to repeat the last word of every sentence and that she referred to herself in third-person. "Nah, I wasn't, but my parents wanted a change. It's nice to be here, though." He paused. "It's nice to meet you, Ryuuguu-san."

Rena smiled. "You don't have to call me Ryuuguu-san. Just Rena is fine. Rena prefers to be called by her first name," she said to him.

Keiichi scratched the back of his head. It seemed a little strange to call someone he had just met by his or her first name. "Uh…. It's nice to meet you, Rena-san?"

Rena nodded. "Yup! It's nice to meet you too!"

She seemed to be a very cheery person, and Keiichi doubted that she had any relation to the supposed demons of the village, or any of the curses that it was supposed to have. She just seemed too sweet and friendly for that. Keiichi relaxed a little. He'd at least have one friend he wasn't going to be constantly suspicious of.

Rena glanced over to her side and nudged a boy who sat on her left. "Satoshi-kun! Say hi to Keiichi-kun!"  
>The boy on her left jumped in his seat, startled by the sudden physical contact. He looked up at Keiichi with his grape-colored eyes. A smile then formed on his face. "Sorry. My name is Houjou Satoshi. I've been living here for all my life," he spoke in a soft tone, one that Keiichi wouldn't expect a male to have. It seemed rather timid to Keiichi. There was no way that this guy could have anything to do with demons, either! He just seemed all too gentle. "And it's quite rare to meet a new student…"<p>

Keiichi laughed. "I picked up on that part."

Satoshi suddenly stood up, glancing at two children who were happily eating lunch at their desks. They were playing with their food, something Keiichi had always been told not to do. "Satoko! Rika-chan!" he called to them.

Both girls turned their heads to him, and upon noticing the new transfer student, they both stood up.

"Satoko, Rika-chan! I want you to meet Maebara Keiichi-san," he said, gesturing towards the brown-haired boy.

Keiichi looked down upon these two girls. The first of them had rather long blue hair and wine-colored eyes, and a very, very cute face. The second of them _had_ to be Satoshi's sister, as she had similar blonde hair and purple eyes, though her hair was a little brighter.

"Hello!" the blue-haired girl piped up. "My name is Furude Rika! It's a pleasure to meet you, new student! Nipah~!" she beamed.

_She's awfully adorable, _Keiichi thought.

"Ah, I heard about you. You're from the Furude Family who runs the shrine, right?" he spoke, recalling what Hiroshi had told him.

Rika nodded her head, an adorable smile on her face. "That's right! It seems as if you have learned a lot about me!"

The other girl looked a little annoyed. "What about me? Did Nii-Nii tell you anything about _me?_" she asked, jealous that her friend was getting more attention from the new student.

Satoshi just laughed. "I wanted you to introduce yourself to him, Satoko," he spoke, patting his sister's head gently.

The girl sighed. "Oh well, then I'll have to tell you about me myself! My name is Houjou Satoko! I'm his little sister, but that doesn't make me any less than him!" she spoke with a mischievous smile on her face. "I'm a master at traps and that kind of cool stuff, so you better watch out or Master Satoko will trap you!"

Rika giggled. "It's true, Keiichi. You have to watch out for Satoko's deadly traps! Nipah~!"

"Wow," Keiichi commented, rubbing the back of his head. "You seem to be rather strong, eh?"

Satoko nodded, beaming. "I'm the best trapper in all of Onigafuchi!"

Rika looked at her. "You're the _only_ trapper in all of Onigafuchi, Satoko," she reminded her.

Satoko rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, details!"

Keiichi had to wonder if there really were demons in Onigafuchi. None of these kids acted like it, and none of the adults acted like it. Was it all just a myth? He chuckled at the display in front of him. The children really were friendly, weren't they?

Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened, revealing the figure of a boy. He glanced about the classroom before spotting Keiichi, looking genuinely surprised.

"Takeru-kun!" called Rena. "You sure were in the bathroom for a long time! You missed Keiichi-kuns's introduction!"

The boy quickly ran over to Keiichi, observing him with wide eyes. "Ah, the new transfer student! I didn't think that he was coming today," he said, gazing into Keiichi's blue eyes with his dark green ones.

Rena grinned. "I didn't really, either."  
>The boy ran his fingers through his forest green hair, feeling a little embarrassed. "Ah, oh well! I'm sorry, but I was in the bathroom. If I knew you were coming, I would have held it in!" he laughed. Then, without another word, he grabbed one of Keiichi's hands and began to shake it vigorously. "Hiya! Maebara Keiichi, is it? My name is Sonozaki Takeru! I'm glad that you're here!" he spoke.<p>

Keiichi was feeling a little startled at his friendliness, and especially at how hard he was shaking his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Sonozaki-san…" he paused for a moment, recalling what the old man had said. Sonozaki… he knew that name. Hiroshi had mentioned it when he was talking about the three great families of Onigafuchi.

"Sonozaki… I heard that was one of the three great families of Onigafuchi. Am I right?" he spoke, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

Takeru let out a toothy grin. "That's right! I'm a part of the great Sonozaki family!" he cried out proudly.

Rena giggled at her friend's eccentric personality. He really was acting quite friendly towards a person he had just met. "Actually, Takeru-kun is the heir to the Sonozaki family. He's going to be in charge of Onigafuchi when he gets older! Takeru-kun's going to grow to be big and scary. Please remember I'm your friend then, Takeru-kun, okay, okay?" she said to him, a cute smile on his face.

"But of course!" he cried out. "I won't forget you," he said, looking at Rena. "You! I won't be all Sonozaki on you, either," he said looking at Satoshi. He turned his dark green gaze over to Satoko and Rika. "And of course, not you two either." Finally, he looked at Keiichi. "And now, since you're our friend, I'll be nice to you too!"

Keiichi rubbed the back of his head, not sure what to think of the boy in front of him. "Thanks?" he said, not knowing what else to say.

"Yup!" Takeru patted Keiichi on the back, though he did so quite roughly. "He's our new friend now, guys! How about if we show him around Onigafuchi after school?" he suggested, glancing towards everyone.

Rena smiled and nodded. "Of course! Rena will be happy to show Keiichi-kun around, around!"

Takeru turned his gaze towards Keiichi. "And you're fine with this, right? Are your parents going to be worried if you don't come home right away?"

"Well, I guess so. They might be worried that I got lost, but I'll just tell them a few friends were showing me around the place," Keiichi decided.

"Then it's settled! We'll do that after school," Rena spoke. "Hau… Keiichi-kun is going to become such good friends with everyone, everyone!"  
>Rika smiled up at him. "I agree with Rena. You'll fit right in!"<p>

Keiichi was feeling a little embarrassed and overwhelmed at the same time. He had never had friends before, but it looks like things were going to change now. These guys didn't seem too scary, so they would be able to protect him from the horrors of Onigafuchi… if there were any, that was.

"Come sit down at this desk here! No one sits here, so it's yours now," Satoshi said, putting his hand down on the desk that was right next to him.

Keiichi just nodded and did what he said to do. He sat down at his new desk, surprised that he was actually feeling okay with the new school. It wasn't nearly as bad as he thought, though he had to wonder if other areas were different. This was just the school, wasn't it? What if the other areas of Onigafuchi were different? He shook those thoughts out of his head as he looked up at his new group of friends. They would help him if he ran into trouble.

…Hopefully they would.

~~~~~X~~~~~

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Seems as if Keiichi's calmed down a little bit. Hehe! Let's see how long **_**THAT**_** lasts for! (Foreshadowing). **

**So this chapter has probably raised a few questions. First of all, I know EXACTLY what you're thinking right now. You're thinking, "WHERE ARE MY SONOZAKI TWINS?" Haha. I knew it! I knew you were thinking that! I got it right, right? Well that should be the main question on everyone's mind right now… and I'm not going to answer it, because I'm mean. Just draw your own conclusions for now.**

** School starts soon. Two days from now, actually. I feel depressed. It shouldn't effect my updates too much, seeing how well I did with balancing Green-Eyed Demon and huge load of work last year.**

**Annnd please review this chapter and tell me what you think! For reviewing this chapter, you will get a Keiichi Plushie that you can hug when you go to sleep. Or you can hug him whenever you want! And he won't protest or anything! I'd like to hug Keiichi. Never going to happen, though, so… also, you get a cupcake of any flavor for pointing out typos. Cookies if you don't like cupcakes. Or ice cream.**

**And with that, Crimso is out. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**~Crimso.**


	3. Chapter 2: Tour

**Crimso's Notes:**

**AHHHHHH DARN IT! I forgot important details in the last chapter! Someone, quick, hit me with a hammer! T_T.**

**One: Here's a repeat of what I said before with Onigafuchi's scenery and such being the same in some ways, but there may be extra buildings and characters may be different.**

**Two: Another OC warning. It's necessary with these fanfictions…**

**Three: Again with the chain of mysterious deaths, with some not happening.**

**Annnd school starts tomorrow. You can probably guess how excited I am about THAT *rolls eyes*.**

~~~~~X~~~~~

**Chapter Two: Tour**

After lunch that day, the many friends Keiichi had met had taken it upon themselves to explain to him about the classroom and how things worked around the school. It was quite different from his old school, to say the least. It wasn't only the size difference, though. They had some different rules for classes and other things like that.

"You got to remember to NEVER say bad things about curry in this classroom!" Takeru warned the boy as he worked on a math sheet Chie had given him. "Chie-sensei loves curry more than anything else in the whole wide world, and if you say something bad about curry… then man! The punishment is even worse than forgetting to turn in your homework!"

"And the punishment for forgetting to turn in your homework is pretty bad, too," Rika added on as she worked on her art project. She was building some sort of clay model, though he noted that her partner, Satoko, was doing little to help her. "Just don't say anything bad about curry and you'll do fine in this school."

Satoshi frowned. "Muu... not just school, but anywhere in Onigafuchi. Chie WILL find you if you say something bad." He looked scared as he said such a thing. He was probably remembering a time where he insulted curry and got beaten by Chie.

Keiichi rubbed the back of his head nervously. "So that's why it smelled strongly like curry when I went into her office," he recalled.

Takeru laughed. "Curry is the only thing Chie eats! She eats it for breakfast, she eats it for lunch, and she even eats if for dinner! So that's why if you insult curry, you're probably going to end up dead before anything else gets to you!" he joked.

Keiichi laughed along with him, but the last part of Takeru's sentence was making him feel a little uneasy. He said "before anything else gets to you." What was this anything else that he was speaking of? Perhaps they were demons? Keiichi shook his head, remembering how well the villagers had been treating him before. It couldn't be that there were demons in this nice, friendly town!

Satoko smirked. "But you know… maybe it would be worth trying… you know, just for fun," she spoke, giving him a mischievous grin.

Satoshi sighed, patted his sister on the head. "Now now, Satoko. Don't make silly jokes like that. Angering Chie-sensei is not a good idea."  
>The blonde-haired girl looked upset. "Aw, but I was just curious!"<p>

"Muu…don't you remember what happened to us last time we angered Chie? It wasn't very pretty at all," Satoshi reminded her, still ruffling her blonde hair.

Keiichi smiled at the girl in front of him, but a part of him couldn't help but be a little suspicious by her intentions. Was she purposely trying to get him hurt? Did Chie have demons that she'd beat people up with when they insulted curry? Keiichi thought that perhaps he was being a little too paranoid. He wasn't scared at all when he first saw Chie, as she had a rather soothing presence to her. There was no way that his imagination was true.

The green-haired boy simply laughed it off. "Oh don't worry about her! She's always trying to get someone to fall for one of her pranks, even if they're obvious like _that_ one," he spoke, seemingly sensing the boy's worried thoughts.

Satoko looked annoyed, and then, with a snap of her fingers, a large basin fell from seemingly nowhere and hit Takeru right on the head. He rubbed the spot where it had hit, murmuring a few words to himself. "Do not underestimate any of my traps!" warned Satoko. "And never, ever, EVER call one of my traps obvious or lame! I bet you anything that you didn't see THAT one coming!"

"Haha, yeah. I guess I shouldn't have underestimated the great Trap Master Satoko, then!" he spoke, still rubbing his head. "And you should take that advice, too, Keiichi. Satoko is certainly not someone to be underestimated in any situation!"

Keiichi grinned. "Well, I'll take note of that and make sure that I don't underestimate her! She seems like a tough opponent, always," he spoke, staring into the girl's purple eyes, which lit up with glee when she heard his words. "No, really, you certainly seem like the type that I don't want to underestimate! I'm sure that you would be able to make some kind of trap to make me pay, as you did to Sonozaki-san there."  
>Satoko puffed out her chest and stuck her chin up in the air rather arrogantly. "You got that right!" she spoke, though she was secretly happy that she had been praised. Everyone mostly thought that her traps were more annoying and often scolded her for setting one up.<p>

"HAU!" Rena suddenly cried out, startling everyone. She had been silent for most of the conversation. "Proud and happy Satoko is just SOOO cute! I'm going to have to take her home with me… right NOOOW!" And without another word, Rena scooped Satoko up in her arms and began to spin her around as fast as she could, cooing however how cute she had been at that moment and rambling about what she was going to do when she took her home.

Satoshi looked surprised. "P-Please, Rena! You're going to hurt her if you're not careful!"  
>Rena didn't seem to hear him, however, and continued to spin the poor girl around in a circle. By this time, Satoko was getting extremely dizzy and her eyes were spinning. Rena eventually put the poor girl down on the ground, still cooing over her. "Hau… Satoko can just be so cute at times…"<p>

As Rena continued to ramble about how cute she was, Satoko was busy trying to regain control of her body, which was now stumbling about. "Please don't do that again, Rena-san. That was very rough…"

Rika smiled. "Don't worry, Satoko. Next time she'll be sure to be a little gentler with you. Nipah~!"

Upon hearing the final word of Rika's sentence, Rena whipped around to look at the girl who was standing there with the most adorable smile anyone had ever seen plastered onto her face. Rena turned a bright red and she picked the girl up in her arms, spinning her around and around faster than she had been spinning Satoko. "HAU! Rika-chan is so cute, too! I want to take her home with me, too!"

Keiichi could only laugh at the scene in front of him. Everyone here seemed to be such close friends, and it looked as if he would fit right in with them. Still, the suspicions he had about Onigafuchi were lingering in the back of his mind. Surely they didn't have to do with his friends, though. Rika was just too innocent, and so was Rena. Satoko may act like she's a prankster who would hurt someone, but he was sure that even she couldn't commit brutal murders. Satoshi just seemed to shy to be involved in anything bloody, and Takeru was just too nice. So if it turned out there really were demons or any kind of creepy supernatural, his friends would be able to protect him and warn him. He hoped that he would survive, and it seemed as if he really would.

"Well, I think we should be getting to working on our homework, now shouldn't we? We're going to be showing Keiichi around the village, so we might be out for a little while," Takeru suggested to his friends.

Satoko pouted. "I don't want to do my math homework, though! It's so boring!"  
>Satoshi simply patted his sister on the head, once again. Keiichi noted that it seemed to be a habit of his. "Satoko, work hard."<br>And so, class continued, though many times his friends would look up from their work to comment on one thing or another, sometimes getting completely distracted from their work to talk about something that was complete irrelevant to their assignment. Most of the time, it was Satoko, but every time she got distracted, Satoshi would just pat her on the head and gently tell her to go back to work.

He had to admit that it wasn't bad hanging out with these guys. They were really nice to him, though it came as quite a surprise to the boy since he had never had friends before. Usually, people would just tease him for being too into schoolwork. This, however, was completely different. These kids were willingly accepting him, even though they didn't even know who he was for the most part. Surely a town like this couldn't be infested by horrible man-eating demons.

But then again, if it wasn't, what was with the rumors and the name? There had to be some reason for it to be called Onigafuchi. It just didn't seem right to have a perfectly nice town which an evil name like "Demon's Abyss." He sighed as he scribbled down the answer to math problems, reminding him of his days in the city. Now that he met some new friends, he wasn't sure whether or not he enjoyed the city life more.

_I guess I'm getting too far ahead of myself. I can't drop my guard down right now. If it turns out there really are demons, then I'm going to be screwed if my guard is down, _Keiichi thought to himself. He finished the sheet he was working on with a large sigh. Now that he had no homework, he didn't have to worry. His friends could make him explore the town for as long as they wanted and he wouldn't have to bother going home early to finish homework.

_I'll really just have to wait and see in this point in time, and at the same time, keep my guard up and accept both possibilities. Demons may or may not exist. This place may or may not be completely innocent. _

"Ah, Keiichi-kun! You're already done with your homework?" Rena commented as she briefly looked up from her homework sheet. "Well that's good, then! Rena can show you around the village for as long as she likes!"  
>Takeru chuckled. "Don't forget about your own homework, Rena," he said, jabbing her in the shoulder with the back of his pencil.<p>

"R-Right!" Rena called out before getting to work on her math homework.

"FINISHED!" Satoko suddenly yelled, surprising everyone in the group. She dropped her pencil down on the table triumphantly, a proud look on her face.

Satoshi simply sighed and looked at her sheet. "No you're not. There are some problems on the back as well…"  
>The blonde-haired girl's face fell.<p>

Keiichi couldn't help but laugh just a little bit. It really was fun to be hanging around these people. Demons or not in this town, he knew for a fact that he could trust all of his friends, no matter what happened.

~~~~~X~~~~~

"Class dismissed!" called Chie.

And with that single sentence, all of the little kids jumped to their feet and scrambled out of the door as fast as they could. It seemed as if none of the little kids really wanted to be in class.

Keiichi got up from his chair and stretched. He had survived his first day at his new school, and he was probably going to survive the next, too, at this rate. Glancing around the classroom, he noticed something rather strange he hadn't really been paying attention to before.

"Huh? There are a lot more desks than there are students…" he murmured, trying to recall how things looked when he first entered the classroom. He scratched his head to try to recall what things had looked like when he first entered the classroom, but it was no use. It was lunch then, and a lot of children had pushed their desks together. Besides, he wasn't paying much attention to the classroom in the first place. He had been focused on the eyes of the children.

Rena stiffened, and Satoshi looked a little uncomfortable. However, Takeru only smiled. "Chie orders a lot of extra desks, just in case."

"Just in case what?" Keiichi asked him.

Takeru kept the smile on his face. "Just in case."

_Just in case one breaks? Just in case a student needs more than one? Huh… I don't really understand… _Keiichi thought to himself, scratching his head as he tried to work it out. He thought about asking Takeru, but Rena and Satoshi were acting strangely uncomfortable to the subject, so he said nothing more.

Rika shot him one of her cute smiles. "In case Satoko breaks one with her traps, like she usually does."  
>Satoko opened her mouth to protest, but Satoshi covered her mouth before she could say anything.<p>

Keiichi raised an eyebrow, but decided not to press the matter and just go with the explanation Rika gave him. It didn't seem like anything odd. Satoko certainly was the type of person to break a desk with a trap, from what he could gather.

"Ah, oh well. Let's move on. Aren't you guys going to tour me around the village?" he asked all of his friends, looking from face to face.

Takeru nodded. "That's exactly what we're going to do. Rena, Satoko, Rika, Satoshi, let's go," he spoke, gesturing for all of them to get out of their seats.

They all did so, grabbing their bags and pushing their seats in. Keiichi placed his backpack on his back and looked at all of his friends. He had to wonder what Onigafuchi was like, as he really wasn't paying too much attention when Hiroshi was showing them around the village. Both Rena and Satoshi's troubled faces had softened and returned to normal, making Keiichi feel a little more comfortable.

"Let's go."  
>And with that, the six friends departed the building and stepped out into the fresh air. Onigafuchi really did have fresh air; it was certainly a change from the dirty old city. Keiichi took a breath of the air, enjoying it for once. He would get used to it in a few days, so he knew he should simply enjoy it now. Rena smiled at him when she saw this, knowing things must have been different for a boy who had lived in the city all of his life.<p>

"Is the air better here, is it?" Rena asked the brown-haired boy.

Keiichi nodded quickly. "It sure is!"

Satoshi wore a soft smile on his face. "Muu… I'm glad you say so, Maebara-san… I'm glad that people from the city can enjoy this rural old village, too…" he said, though there was a slight uneasiness in his voice that made Keiichi feel a little worried.

Satoko seemed to sense this and looked up at her older brother. "Nii-Nii… do you really mean tha-" she was cut off quickly by him patting her on the head once again and giving her a stern look in the eye. "Oh," she squeaked.

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. _What was that about?_

"In any case," Takeru spoke, "let's get moving."

The six of them walked down the paths, and occasionally, one of them would point at a house and explain to him about who it belonged to, and sometimes a little bit about the family who lived inside. They said it was good to know the name of every villager.

"I can name every single person in this village!" Rena said proudly. "You see, the person we just walked by was Dr. Hayashi from the Irie Clinic. He does a lot of work with-" she suddenly froze midsentence. Her voice just seemed to cut off there. Her eyes suddenly grew wide, and she shook her head. "…He does a lot of work…" she finished.

Keiichi shot her a suspicious glance. "With?"

Satoko crossed her arms. "He visits Rika and Takeru often…"

Satoshi shot her another silencing look, and Satoko just nodded her head when his eyes met hers. She didn't say another word.

Takeru laughed it off. "Oh well. Just forget about it. We'll go visit him at the Irie Clinic if you want to later. Oh! And we should visit Dr. Irie and Nurse Takano too. They both work there, and they'll be taking care of you if you get hurt or sick or anything similar."

The brown-haired boy nodded at him. "That sounds like a good idea! It's always good to know where the doctor's is and the doctors themselves if someone gets hurt."

"All right, then! But first, let's go to the Furude Shrine. It's a great shrine owned by Rika's family, and it'll be where a bunch of events are held, like the local festival," Takeru spoke as he made his way down the paths in front of him.

Rika smiled at the mention of the shrine. "My family runs the shrine. The Furude Family has been taking care of the Furude Shrine since the beginning of Onigafuchi. It's really amazing that my family has been taking care of it all by themselves for the past hundreds of years, I think," she said with a small grin on her face. "And I'm not just saying that because it's my family that takes care of it! You should really see it for yourself! Nipah~!"  
>Rena's face grew red again and she tried to resist the urge to take Rika home then and there, but she shook that off rather quickly. "I think it's really amazing what the three great families of Onigafuchi do. They've been alive for hundreds and hundreds of years, their jobs being passed down from person to person! Onigafuchi's history is really incredible!"<p>

Takeru nodded in agreement. "It really is something."

And as they continued their walk, Keiichi glanced about at the many houses they had. They really were a lot smaller than his, and they were very old looking. Still, it was a beautiful village for the most part. He let out a sigh. He would be living in this village for the rest of his life, so he had to get used to life here. He allowed the fresh air to flow into his nostrils yet again. The fresh air really was calming.

"Ah, the Furude Shrine shouldn't be too much longer," Takeru commented as he squinted his eyes. "I think I can see it coming up…"

Rika frowned. "Takeru… you have terrible eyesight."  
>Takeru rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe. Guess I do…"<p>

Rika's expression remained unchanged. "Mii… you should probably see someone about that, Takeru. That bad eyesight of yours may cause a problem."

"Yeah yeah. I'll see someone about that a little later. I don't have time right now," he sighed. "Too much work at the Sonozaki Manor. My grandmother wants me to do this and that to prepare…"

"You poor, poor boy. It won't take long to get used to, though! You'll grow up to be just like me! Nipah~!" beamed Rika.

That's when Keiichi remembered what Hiroshi had mentioned earlier. Rika, despite being so young, was the head of the Furude Family. That seemed to contrast with her personality, being so happy and everything like that. Someone so young would surely sink under pressure at having to run a great family.

Rena was humming a tune to herself as she skipped merrily along the dusty pathways. Satoshi and Satoko were lagging behind the group, Satoshi whispering a few things in Satoko's ear with a rather dark expression on his face. Satoko was nodding at whatever he was saying, also wearing a dark expression, though less so than her brother's. Keiichi was curious as to what they were talking about, but he didn't make any attempts to find out.

"You can see the Furude Shrine from here, see?" Rena said, pointing at the great shrine in the distance.

Keiichi was genuinely shocked by what he _could _see of the great shrine, even though it wasn't that much. It seemed quite large, and it was decorated beautifully. It definitely looked old and traditional, but that was one of its highlights. If that was what a part of it looked like, then Keiichi couldn't wait to see the rest of it. It certainly looked like something more beautiful than anything he could find in a city.

Rika caught the amazed expression on Keiichi's face, and she giggled. "That's my family's shrine! You can see how well I run it just by looking at it, and how great my family was! Nipah~!" She seemed rather excited to show off her family's work, to say the least.

"It's Onigafuchi's pride and joy!" cried Satoko. "It's probably the most beautiful thing you're going to see in this whole village!"

Takeru laughed. "I have to agree with the little kids on this once. It's beautiful."

Satoko shot Takeru an annoyed look. "I'm NOT a little kid! I'm a lady!"

The green-haired boy looked taken aback. "Haha… I'm sorry then for treating you otherwise! I guess I should ever mistreat a lady, huh?" he shot her a toothy grin.

Satoko seemed pleased. "You shouldn't. Especially not me."

"I'll keep that in mind, then."  
>The group of friends slowly approached the great Furude Shrine. And as Keiichi saw the whole thing in front of him, a look of awe painted itself on his face. It was huge, and it was extremely beautiful. There was no doubt that the Furude family had been taking good care of this shrine. It didn't look like it was about to fall apart at all! "Wow," was all that would come out of his mouth as he observed the shrine's features. "Wow…"<p>

Rika beamed. "Behold, the Furude family's masterpiece! Nipah~!"

"And not JUST the Furude family's masterpiece!" cried Takeru. "It's all the masterpiece of all of Onigafuchi history!"

Their description was not an overstatement. The shrine in front of him truly was a masterpiece. Everything about it was just gorgeous, from the top to the bottom.

Rena giggled. "Keiichi-kun, do you want to go up the stairs?"

Keiichi snapped out of his thoughts. "Uh… if Rika doesn't mind…"

The blue-haired girl nodded. "I'm fine with it!"

The group scurried up the steps to the shrine, with Keiichi taking in every single last detail he saw as he approached it. It was surely a sight that he didn't want to miss.

_Wait a moment? Why am I thinking as if I'm not going to see it again? _Keiichi thought to himself. _This is my home now. I'll see it always. I don't need to worry…_

As they reached the top, Keiichi took some time to admire it some more while the others looked about the grass area nearby. Rika was now seated on the grass along with Satoko, chatting happily with each other about miscellaneous things., though Keiichi wasn't paying too much attention to what they were saying. Satoshi, Takeru, and Rena stood rather far away, and Keiichi couldn't quite catch what they were saying, but they were all wearing rather dark expressions.

Keiichi finally tore his eyes of from the shrine and went to sit down with Satoko and Rika, not wanting to join in on whatever dark conversation Takeru, Rena, and Satoshi were having.

Rika smiled. "Mii, Satoko and I were just talking about a good friend of ours."

Keiichi tilted his head. "A good friend of yours, huh?"

Satoko nodded. "Yeah! She's a really good friend of ours! Her name is Kaede and she-"

Rika shot her a silencing glare. Keiichi noted that they seemed to be doing that a lot to poor Satoko. "Kaede is a good friend of ours, you see. She's really nice to us and we love her! Nipah~!" she finished.

"I didn't see anyone named Kaede at the school," murmured Keiichi.

Keiichi noticed Satoko opened her mouth to speak. "She's an adult," Rika answered before Satoko could say anything. Her friend shot her a glare, crossing her arms. "So she doesn't go to school! She is very nice, though, and a good friend even though she is an adult."

"Ahaha, Rika-chan, you're friends with people of all ages, now aren't you?" Keiichi said, rubbing the top of her head roughly. "That's what I heard from an elder, anyways. He said that you were friends with everyone."

Rika grinned. "Of course! I'm the head of the Furude Family, I know everyone and I'm friends with everyone! Nipah~!"  
>Satoko opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it upon better judgment.<p>

"Satoko was about to say that she's a friend with everyone, too, but then she got sad because she reconsidered the idea," Rika explained, looking to her friends with a look of pity on her face. "But she shouldn't reconsider the idea. Satoko is friends with Kaede too, and a bunch of other adults!"

The yellow-haired girl froze for a moment. "Oh, yeah. I felt down…" Satoko spoke, though it was rather unconvincing and sounded quite like a lie to Keiichi's ears.

Keiichi smiled at her. Satoko and Rika certainly did seem like best friends, though it seemed as if Satoko was a little less friendly than her best friend was. She didn't hear about her being friends with the entire village from Hiroshi, but then again, he could have left her out and probably thought of Rika since she was the head of the Furude Family and all that. Keiichi had to wonder if Satoko ever felt childish compared to Rika. Everyone seemed to be silencing her all day, and he had to wonder if she felt bad about herself for that.

His thoughts were interrupted when Rena, Satoshi, and Takeru suddenly approached them, their ominous expressions now faded into ones of joy. Keiichi wanted to question them about what they had been talking about, but he decided against it.

"It's really nice up here," Keiichi commented, trying to find some way to start up a conversation.

Rena nodded. "I think we'll have to come up here sometime for a picnic!" she spoke. "It would be very nice! There's the grass, the slight breeze, the sun, hauu! It would be perfect to have a picnic up here!"

"Hm, that sounds like a good idea," commented Takeru as he looked about the area. "I think that Rena's right! It'll be wonderful to have a picnic up here~!"

"You'd have to ask Rika first," Satoko growled, as if to protect her friend.

However, the blue-haired girl only patted her on the head. "It's fine, Satoko. You don't need to stand up for me like that. I don't mind my friends coming and snacking around the Furude Shrine one bit! Nipah~!"

Satoshi frowned. "Satoko, be a little more polite," he reminded her gently.

Satoko looked irritated. "Yeah, yeah! Sure, whatever! I'm just trying to stick up for Rika here! You don't need to yell at me or anything!" she hissed in an unfriendly manner.

These actions startled Keiichi, though he figured that Satoko's snappy behavior was due to the fact that she was the youngest of the group and felt like the older kids were picking her on. Apparently, because they were older, they had more control over everyone and herself.

Satoshi shot everyone a look of apology before moving his gaze back to the stubborn girl in front of him. "Satoko-"

"You keep telling me to be quiet, and it's really annoying me! So next time I have something to say, let me say it!" she ordered all of them, a furious look on her face.

"Satoko," her older brother sighed. "I'll need to talk to you for a little bit. Takeru, Rena, Rika-chan, and Maebara-san, you guys move on. I… I need to have a little chat. I'll walk, but we'll just be behind the group just a tad."

Takeru nodded. "Well, that's completely fine! Let's hope Satoko cheers up, and let's move!"  
>The six friends moved on, with Satoko and Satoshi trailing behind. As Keiichi went down the stairs, he was able to make out the figure of an object sitting in front of the Furude Shrine that he didn't notice before. He had apparently been so intrigued with the shrine that he didn't realize that there was an object sitting there. It looked like a table of some sort, but Keiichi knew better.<p>

"Is that… some kind of restraining board?" he asked.

Takeru froze. "…Let's move on, Keiichi. We need to get to the Irie Clinic, you remember? We need to introduce you to Irie-sensei, Nurse Takano, and Hayashi-sensei. They'll be pleased to meet you."

Keiichi stared wide-eyed at the object, even halting to take a better look at it. Rena and Takeru walked ahead of him, murmuring a few things to each other as they did so.

It had restraints attached to it, one for each limb. It looked as if that if someone were to be placed in it, they wouldn't be able to move a muscle. Keiichi gulped as he wondered why they would have something so ghastly sitting right in front of the beautiful Furude Shrine. And why would they need such equipment, anyways? What was the point of it?

Right before he was about to move on, Satoshi and Satoko walked by. And as they did so, Keiichi was able to catch a little of their conversation.

"We're trying to hide things from him for now… so don't blurt out anything about _that,_" Satoshi spoke to his brother. "…I know it's hard… but we'll see how long this lasts for…"

Keiichi froze up. They were trying to hide _what_ from him? Apparently, Satoko had been trying to tell him a few things that they didn't want him to know about. What were they, then? Did it involve the demons of Onigafuchi, or did it involve some kind of creepy curse that would make him die?

Noticing that everyone was getting far ahead, Keiichi forced himself to move. He felt all the suspicions he had locked in the back of his head burst open and return. And now, he knew that his friends couldn't be trusted with such matters. They were lying to him about something, but what were they lying to him about?

He tried to wipe the terror of his face to appear more normal, but he found that he just couldn't. There was something funny about this village. And now, Keiichi knew. The name "Demon's Abyss" was probably just the start to all the horrors of this village.

Takeru frowned. "Keiichi, I'll have you know that the people in the clinic are extremely nice. Takano especially!"

Rena nodded in agreement. "Nurse Takano and us all get along! She gives everyone treats when they come to the clinic and all that! Takeru and Takano are really good friends, but Rika is also a friend of Takano's! She's just that nice!"  
>Keiichi forced himself to laugh. "Rika's friends with everyone, huh?"<p>

"Of course!" cried Takeru. "She's only the greatest Furude Rika! She's extremely adorable! I mean, who could do anything bad to a cute face like that?"

Keiichi couldn't imagine anyone hurting Rika, and maybe that's why she was still alive in this haunted town. Unfortunately, he wasn't cute like Rika. How was he to survive? How did Rena survive?

Takeru sensed his uneasiness. "Aw, cheer up! I know that you're a little too old for her and all that, but there are other girls in this world!" he joked, slapping Keiichi playfully on the back.

Keiichi looked startled. "S-Sonozaki-san! That's going too far!"  
>Takeru just laughed it off. "Oh, but Rena here is just as cute! You see? Look at her adorable eyes and that cute grin of hers! No man could resist her!" he spoke dramatically, gesturing to the horribly flustered girl next to him.<p>

"H-Hau!" was all Rena let out of her mouth.

The brown-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "Does that mean that _you _can't resist her then?" he pointed out.

Takeru grinned. "Of course! Rena's just amazing! Aren't you, Rena?" he spoke, turning to wink at her.

"H-Hau! Takeru-kun, please don't! You embarrass Rena every time you do this!" she cried out, burring her head in her hands.

_Every time he does this? He does this often, then?_ Keiichi thought as he watched Takeru flirt with a flustered Rena, not even bothering to comment on the situation.

Satoshi and Satoko eventually finished the conversation and moved up to where the rest of the group was. Satoko looked annoyed, her arms crossed in front her chest and her eyes focused on the ground. Satoshi looked a little worried for his sister, his eyes also gazing down at the ground. Keiichi felt a little uneasy when he spotted them, remembering the conversation they were having. What else did Satoshi say to Satoko? He was probably telling her to stop talking about the dark secrets of Onigafuchi, but did he mention which secrets he was trying to hide from him?

"The clinic is right here!" Rena said, pointing to the upcoming building. Takeru had stopped flirting with her by that point, and her previously tomato-red face had returned to its normal color.

Keiichi could see the building not to far up ahead. It was rather large, and there were several cars parked in front of the building. He wondered to himself about how many people were in the clinic at one time, since the village appeared to be so small. Perhaps the clinic was so big because it needed to hold a lot of people. He wondered if it the reason why it was so large was because they got so many injuries from demons. The guy on the bus was talking about how his son lost his ear from an encounter with a demon. Did such things happen often?

The six friends entered the clinic. The first room was, naturally, a waiting room, decorated with many couches and a stack of books for people of all ages to read as they waited for their turn. A rather old man was sitting on one of the couches, his head buried in a book.

"Kimiyoshi!" cried Takeru as he ran over to the man on the couch.

The man looked up from his book, at first a little annoyed that he had been pulled away from it, but when he realized the boy was Takeru, his upset look contorted into a huge smile. "Oh, if it isn't Takeru! How has everything been? How is Oryou?"  
>Takeru laughed. "It's been fine, and grandmother has been fine, too! She's getting old, but Irie-sensei said that she was healthy for an old woman! So I don't think that we need to worry about her dying anytime soon."<p>

Rena poked Keiichi in the shoulder. "That's Kimiyoshi," she whispered to him. "He's the leader of the village. You know, from the great Kimiyoshi family."

_Ah! I remember Hiroshi talking about him. He's the leader of the entire village, the head of the Kimiyoshi family! _The brown-haired boy thought to himself as he observed Takeru chatting cheerfully to the old man on the couch.

"So, what brings you here today, Takeru?" laughed Kimiyoshi. "Did you hurt yourself? You seem nice and lively to me!"  
>Takeru shook his head. "Nah, showing someone around the village. What are you doing?"<p>

Kimiyoshi laughed. "Oh, I'm taking Kai in for a check-up with Hayashi. He said that his back was starting to hurt a little so I was worried."

Takeru frowned. "Well you work him so hard, Kimiyoshi! Perhaps you should give him a break and let someone else do the jobs," he suggested.

"Nah, Kai's tough. He's the only one of them I trust with those kinds of things…"

Keiichi didn't quite understand their conversation, but he listened to it anyways. He hoped he could uncover some things about Onigafuchi's history, but it wasn't really working all that well. _Maybe it's better if I stay out of their conversation for now. Besides, eavesdropping is rude. _

"Oh, by the way, Kimiyoshi, I want you to meet my new friend!" Takeru turned around, pointing towards Keiichi with a single finger. "This guy is Maebara Keiichi, though I'm sure you already knew that. He came in today and right now, we're showing him around the village!"

Kimiyoshi grinned as he spotted Keiichi. "Oho! Another lively young man. I'm glad, Takeru, that you're able to meet another young man your age. It's tough with so little people around here," he commented to Takeru before standing up and walking over to Keiichi. "My name is Kiichirou Kimiyoshi. Do you know about the three great families of Onigafuchi?"

Keiichi nodded. "Yeah. You're the head of the village, right? Kimiyoshi family leads the village…"

Kimiyoshi grinned. "I'm glad that you know! That makes things a lot easier for me. You'll be a fine man here, a fine man indeed!"

The brown-haired boy rubbed the back of his head, finding fear and embarrassment in talking to the man who ran the entire village he lived in. He was probably someone to be feared, knowing the nature of the village. But he didn't _seem_ to bad to him, though Keiichi figured that he was probably putting on an act, just how he suspected the same with Hiroshi.

Takeru laughed. "He's already great here!" he spoke. Then, suddenly, he turned to Kimiyoshi. "Oh, and," he leaned forward to whisper something in the old man's ears, causing the man to nod once.

"I understand," he responded, a serious expression on his face. However, he dropped that expression in a matter of seconds. "Well, I hope you enjoy the village, Keiichi-san!" Kimiyoshi said.

Keiichi nodded. "I hope I do, too! I like it already!" he lied.

Kimiyoshi went back to the couch and returned to his books. Takeru was now walking down the hallway, and he knocked on a door not far down. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a man with glasses and a doctor's coat on. "Irie, I want you introduce you to someone. Bring Nurse Takano too, please," he requested.

The man nodded and returned to his room, only to come back out a few seconds later. A nurse followed him, her hair long and blonde. This had to be Nurse Takano, the really nice nurse that Rena and Takeru had been talking about before.

"Ah, Maebara Keiichi-san!" cried the doctor smiling. "I know about you because everyone has been talking about the new villagers moving in for a while now, so don't be surprised. I'm glad that you decided to stop by today. I'm Doctor Irie. I hope to see you around the village!"

He didn't seem to be that bad of a person, Keiichi figured as he looked at him. His voice seemed very friendly and fun, and definitely not like someone who lived in a cursed town. Then again, that's what everyone sounded like. But there was something about this guy… something that told Keiichi that he really wasn't faking his funny attitude.  
>Nurse Takano dipped her head. "I'm Nurse Takano Miyo. I do hope to be seeing you around town as well, but I hope it's not here. I don't want such a young boy getting hurt," she spoke in her soft tone.<p>

Once again, Keiichi forced himself to laugh. "Ah yes! I do hope that I don't get too hurt in the near future, or any time future for that matter!"

"But you can visit when you have a headache. Takano will give you candy, then! Nipah~!" Rika spoke, an adorable smile on her face as she looked up at the brown-haired boy.

Irie's face flushed. "Oooh! Rika-chan, please wear this maid outfit for meeee~!" cried the doctor as he pulled a rather skimpy maid outfit out. Keiichi's eye twitched as he imagined poor, young Rika wearing such a thing. _Pedophile! _He thought.

Rika frowned. "I'll have to decline…"

Satoko didn't look amused in the slightest. "Please, Irie-sensei, stop trying to get me and Rika into those outfits. I don't want to do it…"

"Oh, but Satoko! You'll look so adorable in this maid outfit! Kyaa~!" He cried out as he spun around in a circle, imagining the young girls clad in one of his many maid outfits.

Just then, another doctor walked in the room, his hair of a jet-black color and his eyes lemon-lime. "Ah, what do we have here? It seems that a lot of people have gathered! Come on now, do tell what the special occasion is!"  
>Takeru smiled at him. "Oh, Hayashi-sensei! I want you to meet Maebara Keiichi, the new villager who just arrived today!" he cried, gesturing dramatically to the boy on his right.<p>

Hayashi looked at Keiichi with his lemon-lime eyes, a grin on his face. "Oh my, I wasn't expecting him to come for a while! But I guess that's a good thing you're here now, hm? Everyone was excited," he told him in his rather rough and loud voice, though it had a gentleness to it that prevented him from sounding too gruff.

"Haha! Yeah. I'm Maebara Keiichi, as you already know. It's nice to meet you, Hayashi-sensei!" he said, trying his best to smile at the doctor in front of him.

Hayashi let out a loud, hearty laugh. "Oh my! He seems like a rather lively one, and I'm sure you guys are appreciating that! It's too bad that I won't be able to work with you here, but I'll be glad to see you on the paths around Onigafuchi!"

Keiichi titled his head to the side. "You won't be working with me?"

The buff doctor nodded. "Oh yes. In fact, I'm sure that I won't work with you!"

The room was silent for a few moments, and in that time, Keiichi tried to figure out what exactly he meant by that. Was he just a janitor or something? But if that were the case, he wouldn't be wearing a coat like that, now would he? He rattled his brain to try to find answers, but none came to mind.

And finally, a shrill, young voice that could only belong to Satoko broke the silence. "He doesn't work with humans. He works with demo-." Satoshi quickly covered his sister's mouth

"SATOKO!" all of the club members cried out at once.

Keiichi was stunned. Did Satoko just say he worked with _demons?_ So was it true, then? Did demons really exist? Is that what everyone was trying to hide from him. If that was the case, there was no point in hiding. He had already suspected it from the beginning! Hiding it from him was just hurting him!

But maybe she didn't mean demons. Maybe she was trying to say something else, and maybe he heard it wrong. He didn't bother asking. He was too shocked.

Satoshi shot Keiichi an apologetic glance. "Excuse her."

Satoko looked around the room, and at the scolding gazes her friends gave her. "Um… oops."

Satoshi sighed. "Satoko, let's go home. Sorry, everyone, but I think it's time that Satoko gets to cooking dinner. Rika, you too. Let's go," he spoke to them, gently grabbing his sister's hand and pulling her out the door. He shot the group one last apologetic look as he walked out the door with his sister, Rika tagging behind him.

Takeru glanced to Rena. "Um… yeah, I have to go too. Grandmother wants me to do a few chores around the house and uh… can't stay! See ya!" he cried out before darting out the door as fast as he could.

Now, only Rena and Keiichi remained of the group. Rena looked nervous, and she was trying to find the words. "Um… do you know the way to your houses? Because Rena has to go home or her dad will worry…"

"Yeah," Keiichi replied robotically.

"Okay. So then… bye," was all she said before she too turned around and walked out the door.

Keiichi wasn't sure what to say. Clearly Satoko had said something they didn't want him to know, and that meant the word she was saying was probably demons. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe she said something else.

_What the heck am I saying to myself? She clearly said demons! You know too, Maebara Keiichi. Don't deny it. This town… is cursed!_

~~~~~X~~~~~

A figure walked in the darkness, stopping to glance about the room he was in before he continued forward. He let out a large sigh as he approached his destination, catching sight of two more figures barely visible in the darkness enveloping them. He rubbed his eyes, hoping it would make his sight better, but it did no good. Well, it didn't really matter anyways. He would be out in a few moments.

"It's been a while," the first figure spoke to the two others, his tone unfriendly.

One of the figures glared at him through the darkness. "It has," was the only thing the figure said.

The first figure laughed. "Oh, I see you're acting a little unfriendly towards me. Oh well, nothing changes. By the way, Number Twenty-Seven, you can wipe that disgusting look of pleading off of your face. I didn't bring any food for you. Yes yes, now get that look off of your face. It's making me want to violently murder someone."

"You visited and didn't bring food," hissed the third figure. "That's the only reason you ever come… and the only reason why you haven't come for three weeks."

The first figure shrugged. "I don't care. You and the rest of you demons don't need to eat. You can't die by starvation, as far as I know."

"What, then?" the second figure growled. "Are you testing to see if we die of starvation, then?"

The first figure cackled evilly and as loudly as he could, for there was no one else to hear him besides the demons resting in the room. "Oh no, I just don't want to waste money on buying you meat every few days when I could be using that money to buy food for _me. _You know, the little old human who needs food to survive." He smirked. "So you don't need to worry about dying and that crap. You're lucky I let you demons live, anyways. You're under _our _rule now, remember?"

The third figure didn't look pleased in the least. "I'd rather die than be under _your_ rule."

The first figure smirked again. "Well then, how about if I kill you now, then?" he suggested.

The third figure looked startled, and the first laughed. "I knew it, you don't really want to die. So I'll keep you demons alive… for now. You'll be useful, I'm sure. So for that reason, respect me. I have control over your life, now. The years where demons ruled over humans are gone now. The members of the three great families took care of that. Now, you have no choice but to obey _us_."

Figures two and three growled in annoyance, but the first just laughed. "All right, well it's getting late and I should be in my very comfortable, soft futon by now. You enjoy your rest on the floor," he taunted them, satisfaction in his eyes. "I'll be back… some day. And no, Number Twenty-Seven, _not_ to feed you."

All the demons could do was shout curses at them as he walked away, a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

~~~~~X~~~~~

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Dude. It's 11:02 PM, I have school tomorrow, it's going to take forever to upload this chapter… so yeah, I'm doomed. Eh, school is okay so far. They didn't give me the history teacher I requested, but I'm fine with that, I guess. The one they gave me is rather unorganized but you don't need to work to get an A in his class. **

**Yeah, sorry for not updating in like… three days. It's kind of going to be like that with school, most unfortunately. Do remember that I have until June with this fanfiction, so I may be lazy. And also, know I have school life and other stuff to deal with. **

**So, please review and tell me what you think! Yes, I know, Keiichi went from paranoid to normal to paranoid in a short amount of time, but that was kind of the point. He isn't comfortable around here. For reviewing, you shall get a… hm… you shall get a Rena Plushie. I never gave one out before, huh. Pointing out typos will give you a extra special model of the Furude Shrine. I don't have enough time to proofread properly today since I need to go to bed.**

**~Crimso**

**EDIT: Does anyone know why my computer is slow on FF? I doubt it, but... it would be nice to be able to fix this problem.**


	4. Chapter 3: Research

**Crimso's Notes**

**Oh my gosh. This is seriously creepy. I sent my computer into the tech center and now I have a loaner with a new version of Microsoft word that I'm not used to. Hopefully I'll get it back in a few days, but its issues are so bad that… urgh. W-Where's the double spacing button?**

**1. Short chapter.**

**2. This is a little fast paced so far, but trust me, it slows down.**

**By the way, I figured out the problem with my computer and FF. It's my Flash Player. It hasn't been updated yet, and I need the administrator of my computer (AKA the guys of the tech center) to update it. We'll see if that is fixed when/if I get it back.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 3: Research**

A figure entered the dark room again for the second time that week. It was much lighter now, since it was now morning. He grinned as he walked towards the back of the room, catching sight of the two other figures he had been talking with the night before. Both of them froze and turned to look at him the moment he arrived, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Ohoho. Are you surprised to see me again?" the man asked the two other figures. "I'm glad to see that look of surprise on your face. And guess what, Number Twenty-Seven? I didn't bring you food, just like I promised!" he spoke, a sadistic grin on his face as he heard the demon growl.

"Why?" hissed the other demon.

The man grinned. "Simply because I can! I may not be the one in complete control of you, but I've been hired to take care of you since the others are much too busy to be tending to you silly, powerless demons. And yes, Number Twenty-Eight, I just called you powerless. You want to know why? Because you demons _must_ obey us weak humans now, and you're a creature that's below us now, which automatically makes you weaker than us."

One of the demons growled, but the second one held up a hand to tell the other to stop. "Why don't you just go bother all the other demons you're in charge of?" the demon questioned.

The man shrugged. "The other demons have other people looking after them besides me, and I get a lot more money from this. I don't even need to pay for your food to get tons of money!" he cackled.

One of the demons looked just about ready to claw the man's face off, while the other was simply growling furiously without as much murderous intent as the other. However, the man just smirked. He knew that they couldn't lay a finger on him, since he was the one that was taking care of the demons now.

"YOU JUST TRY TO KILL ME! YOU CAN'T DO IT!" cried the man as loud as he could, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm above you now, don't you see? I CAN DESTROY YOU IF I WANTED… BECAUSE I AM THE ONE IN CHARGE OF YOU!"

"What is this all about?" an unexpected voice rang out from behind.

Suddenly, the man whipped around and his eyes grew wide as he spotted the figure approaching him with a less than amused look on his face. This person was the person who actually _owned_ the demons he was supposed to look after. He gulped as he looked at the figure, taking a few steps back. He was in big trouble now.

"You," hissed the new figure, "I thought I told you to feed those damn demons…"

The man jumped. "M-Master! Y-You know I was only doing this to save a little money. I mean…! We can have more money later and then-."

"SILENCE!"

The man froze the ground. His head turned slightly so he could get a look at the two demons' expressions, finding that both of them didn't look any less hostile upon noticing the figure of their true master.

"Now, didn't you join this scheme because I promised you power? In order for this to work, we need to make sure the demons are fully fed! They're more powerful that way, you got it?" the figure scolded him, a ferocious look on his face.

"Y-Yeah but… we can feed them later! They'll obey us no matter what! With their power, weakened or not, they could still…!" the man was trying his best to explain his actions, but he already knew that he was about to be punished severely. His rambling was no use to him.

The figure eyed the two demons in the cage, an emotionless yet stern expression on his face. "Hey, demons. I still despise you with all my heart, but I think we can both agree that we hate this guy right here, and that he deserves to be punished for his actions," he spoke to the demons.

They both nodded.

"Good. Now listen, I'm going to let you out ONLY so that you can maul this guy to death. Right after that, I'm going to lock you back up and I will _not_ let you out," the told the demons strictly, though neither of them looked like they were going to comply. Sensing this, the figure continued to speak. "I could force you to listen… but I'm not going to do that. Instead, I will say this. If you do this, I'll reward you with a little meat…"

Both of the demons' faces lit up and they licked their lips, causing the man to gulp.

"Uh… master? Spare me, please?" he requested.

The figure pulled a key from his pocket and placed it in the lock of the demons' cage, twisting it open. He pulled the great, steel door back, so that the demons were now free. They both looked up at the man who had been refusing to feed them with a sadistic look in their faces, both of them licking their lips as they raised their newly unsheathed claws.

"Kill him. And when we're done with the body… I'll toss it in the forest… so that everyone can be warned of what's to come…"

And then, the demons leapt.

~~~~X~~~~

It had been a few days since the incident of Satoko blurting out about demons, and the group had been acting as if it hadn't happened at all. Of course, that didn't mean that _Keiichi_ had forgotten about what Satoko had said, and he hadn't forgotten that restraining board or the conversation Satoshi and Satoko had either. There was definitely something up with this village, and Keiichi knew that he just HAD to find out what it was, even if it cost him his life. If he didn't, then he'd probably die from a demon attack anyways.

And yet, at the same time, he didn't want to know if demons existed. For if they did, he didn't know what he was going to do. There was no way that he could convince his parents to move away, since neither of them believed in demons. He didn't want to see one, either. They probably looked hideous and horribly mutated, something that would be horrifying to the human eye.

And so, just like they had promised, the group of friends decided to go for a picnic right next to the Furude Shrine. Rena had made most of the food, though Satoko and Rika pitched in and added a few side dishes to the meal. There were six hungry mouths to feed, so the amount of food was just right for them.

They all seemed a little too cheery to Keiichi. Satoko hadn't gotten close to mentioning demons again. Satoshi probably gave her a long talk after the incident at the Irie Clinic, Keiichi figured. They were all acting like nothing had happened, and neither of them mentioned Hayashi the demon doctor or anything related to the incident that had happened. They all were continuing on, enjoying their lives.

"Tada! Rena made sure that she added extra flavor to these dishes over here, and I made sure that the side dishes were nice and pretty!" Rena yelled out as she presented the food she made. "Please eat all you want!"  
>"Whoa! As usual, Rena, you made great food!" Takeru cried as he eyed the food in front of him greedily. His mouth was watering just from looking at it.<p>

Rena blushed. "Y-You haven't even tried any yet, Takeru-kun…"  
>Takeru just grinned at her and gave her a wink. "But I already know it's going to be good, Rena. You always make the best food, after all!"<p>

"H-Hau!"

Keiichi sighed as he watched Takeru continue flirting with Rena. Satoko, Rika, and Satoshi had already begun munching on the food, enjoying its taste thoroughly. Rolling his eyes, Keiichi began to eat Rena's food as well, and after swallowing his first bite, he realized that Takeru really was right. The food was incredible.

"Ah, I was so busy looking at your beautiful face that I forgot to eat the food!" Takeru cried out as he lunged for a piece of meat, which looked that it had been cooked perfectly. Rena's face was still flustered, but she began to eat her food anyways. She was still eyeing Takeru every once in a while, her blush turning even redder each time she did so.

_Man… that guy doesn't even try to hide his feelings. He just outright admits it! _Keiichi thought.

Keiichi munched on the food in front of him, trying his best to enjoy it. However, he felt as if his suspicion about the village he was in was tainting his enjoyment of the food. He could remember the time where he questioned the large amount of desks in the class, and how they had brushed that off by saying Chie kept them there just in case anything happened. That just had to be a lie. Satoko probably didn't destroy desks _that_ much! Sure, she was a trickster, but she would probably be forced to pay for the desk if she broke it, and not the school.

It was killing him. He just _had_ to know the answer to that question. Perhaps the students who had been sitting at the desks all died, and that because of that, they had a lot of spare desks. Perhaps the demons had killed them all horribly, as children were probably defenseless against such beasts. The curiosity was about to kill him. He knew he couldn't just outright ask if there were demons, but he could try to come to conclusions by asking them questions…

"Hey… I know I asked you this before, guys, but I have a question. Why are there so many desks at the school? And don't say just in case. I know there's got to be a real reason behind it," he asked them once again, glancing down at his food so that he didn't see the look of shock on their faces.

Satoshi looked over to Takeru, who sighed and nodded. "I guess it's not much use hiding so much any longer, huh? Well then I'll tell you the truth about the desks… and only the desks for now," Satoshi told him in his usual soft, timid voice.

"That's fine," muttered Keiichi. "As long as you answer the question…"

The blonde-haired boy rubbed his temples as he tried to think of a way to explain thing to the boy in front of him without making him worry too much. "…Well, the people who sat at those desks… have mysteriously disappeared without a trace. We don't know why, but they're all just… gone. One after the other, the kids just disappeared."

Keiichi's eyes went wide. They…disappeared? No. That couldn't be it. They were probably all dead, then! That just proved his theory about the demons really existing, and only increased his fears.

Rena frowned. "But don't worry, Keiichi-kun. W-Whatever it is… we'll make sure it doesn't get to you. I can tell by your face that you're upset… but you have to believe me when I say that. Onigafuchi… really isn't all that bad…"

Satoshi opened his mouth to protest, but he shut it quickly as he realized that his words would only make the boy in front of him worse.

Satoko looked like she wanted to say something, but she also said nothing. She was probably thinking back to a few days ago, where she just couldn't keep her mouth shut and said something that scared the poor boy. She certainly didn't want to make _that_ mistake again.

"All right," muttered Keiichi. "I… I'll trust you," he lied.

~~~~X~~~~

In the end, the picnic didn't really get much more cheerful. It was a disappointment to Keiichi, who had been hoping to get his mind off of the idea of demons, though in the end, he managed to get some important information.

And now, the brown-haired boy was on his bike, pedaling to the nearby city of Okinomiya. People of Onigafuchi often visited there, and Keiichi figured the citizens of Okinomiya had probably gotten used to them by now. But right then, that wasn't something he was concerned about. The boy had one destination, and that was the library. He was to look up a book on demons, and judge whether or not the legends about them were true or fake.

He didn't quite know his way around town, but he _had_ gotten a map of the city from his mom, who had been there previously to go shopping. "Let's see, if I go that way, then it won't be too long until I reach the library." He didn't know how many books they had on demons there, but it was sure to have something. After all, it was a city located right next to Onigafuchi. There had to be at least one book.

He parked his bike right outside the building, having found it after a little bit of struggle. But all that was behind him. He had one goal in mind, one goal that he would stop at _nothing_ to achieve. He had to find the truth out about demons, and he needed to do so quickly. If he really was living in a village infested by demons, then he knew he had to do something about it.

The boy walked into the library and began to browse the shelves. They had many books, ones of all kinds. Moving towards the "D" section, he scanned the shelves for a book that started with "demon" or anything similar to that. Though, to his dismay, the only books that had the word demon at the front were fictional books about people who slayed demons or things similar to that.

Sighing, he looked down the sections to find any book that was about demons, one that wasn't some kind of fictional adventure book aimed at younger teenagers. He needed to find a book on actual demons.

Then something caught his eye. It was a red book, a book with a picture of a ferocious demon on the cover. "_Koichi's Demon Book,"_ he whispered to himself as he read the title, brushing some dust off of it. It didn't appear that people read the book all that much. Glancing around to see that no one was watching him look at such a ghastly book, he wandered off towards a small table intended for two people to sit at. Not that it mattered, though. He could sit at it if he wanted to.

He placed the book down and began to scan through the pages.

_Demons are an evil species that infested Onigafuchi. They are all twisted and evil, none of them having a single hint of good in their heart. They are all monsters that are intent on killing anyone in their sight, and they will not spare even children. _

_ Demons will not give you a second chance at life if you cross one. They will look at you straight in the eye and then pounce on you. They will tear at your life with their sharp claws and ghastly fangs until you are no more. Then, they will eat your remains. This is certainly not a death that anyone wants to go through, so it's advised that residents keep out of the forests at all times, and avoid wandering at night._

He flipped the page.

_Usually, the corpse of a person killed by a demon will be scratched up and have several bite marks. Chunks of flesh may be taken out, and there may be tears in the skin. They also tend to target eyes of humans and try to blind them so that they certainly do not escape. Such actions are common, and it is not rare to see a corpse without eyes._

Keiichi felt like throwing up. That was just too gross. It was too gross to be fake. There was too much detail about the corpse of someone killed by a demon to be made up. Surely, the person who had wrote this had encountered corpses many times, and surely they had gotten up close to a demon several times. Perhaps they had even survived an attack, but by judging by the description, he doubted it.

"Who even wrote this book?" grumbled Keiichi. He flipped the book over, getting a good look at the name of the person engraved in the crimson color in a shade of shining gold. "…Kimiyoshi Koichi is the name of the guy. So he was probably one of the previous heads of the Kimiyoshi family. So that means he definitely can't be lying. But then again… maybe… Maybe he just wants to scare people… but why?"

Perhaps Keiichi had been talking to himself a little too loudly, as he soon noticed a figure seated across from him. She was smiling, a single hand cupping her cheek as she observed the boy in front of her.

"N-Nurse Takano! Is that you?" he cried out, dropping the book out of surprise.

Takano, as Keiichi identified the woman sitting in front of him, simply laughed. "My, my. I didn't mean to scare you! I was just curious as to why you were reading a book about Onigafuchi Demons," she commented, gazing at the cover.

Keiichi rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… I was just curious myself…" he lied.

The nurse smiled sweetly at him. "Ah, well it's a subject I'm quite well informed of. I may not look like it, but I'm a huge fan of the legends of Onigafuchi. I could tell you what you wish to know… if you want," she offered him.

Keiichi's eyes widened. Takano could tell him the truth, here and now! "Thank you, Nurse Takano! Please tell me everything you know about demons!"  
>She laughed. "All right," she spoke, giving him a wink. She reached for the book with her hands, looking at the pages the boy had been reading before. "Hm… demon attacks, huh? Well I'll assure you that you don't need to worry about those."<p>

Keiichi tilted his head to the side. "Why is that?"

"...Demons are no longer creatures that wander freely around Onigafuchi," Takano explained to the boy. "You see, the person who wrote this book was a previous head of the Kimiyoshi family. He managed to defeat the demon king and forced demons to become the slaves of humans. Now, everyone owns demons. They keep them in their closets, in their basements, in their garden sheds… _anything_ they can think of."  
>The boy was quite surprised by the information he was receiving from her. So, it appeared that demons really <em>did<em> exist. But what was this about them being forced into slavery by humans? "Wait a moment, don't the demons just _attack _the humans?" Keiichi questioned her.

Takano laughed. "Not possible. The humans control them, now. They _own_ them now. They cannot rebel against their masters. They must comply to their every order."

"W-Wow… that's amazing," was all Keiichi could say.

Takano giggled. "Isn't it? The people of Onigafuchi are amazing. They managed to tame beasts like demons. Well… for the most part," she said softy to him, placing the book down and handing it back to the boy. "And I believe that clears up any mysteries you had about this village. Know that the demons probably won't attack you and you're fine. Of course… that all would change if someone ordered a demon to attack, hm?"

Keiichi did his best to grin at her, finding her words slightly reassuring. So that meant that demons had a low chance of attack him? Well then, he supposed he would be fine. Takano, according to everyone, was such a nice person and wouldn't lie. Surely he could believe in her words.

"I'm glad you're happy now. But unfortunately, I must go. I hope to see you around, hm?" she spoke, smiling at the boy.

The brown-haired boy nodded quickly. "Yeah, thank you!"

Now that his work was done, he could leave. He took the book in his arms and returned it to the section, now feeling a little better. Demons wouldn't attack him without anyone ordering them to. There was almost no way.

Something about that didn't settle too well in his mind, though. There was a suspicion in the back of his head. Perhaps someone would one day come and try to kill him, ordering their demon to attack him. It would be impossible for him to avoid them, if that were the case.

He tried to forget about that. A demon wouldn't kill him without order. That's what Takano promised, anyways, and so, he would believe it.

~~~~X~~~~

Keiichi wandered through Onigafuchi, on his way home. He felt a little better about the dangerous paths, now, and he could walk home without too much worry in his mind, aside from the ones he pushed away. He was humming a small tune to himself as he walked along to distract himself from any remaining bad thoughts, wondering what was for dinner that day. _Whatever it is, it'll be good! Although I don't know… is Mom or Rena a better cook? It's kind of hard for me to decide._

He could imagine the nice smells in his mind. He could smell the wonderful spices that his mom would put on his food, and the fragrance of perfectly cooked meat and vegetables. He licked his lips as he continued to imagine the smell of it. It smelt like the most delicious thing in the whole wide world, and he was sure that nothing could top it, _nothing _could.

Then the smell of the wonderful food suddenly turned foul. Keiichi covered his mouth as he tried not to throw up his lunch. There was suddenly an _awful _stench coming from the trees nearby, and he was sure that, in contrast to the delicious smell of his mom's cooking, the smell he smelled was the worst in the whole world.

_What the heck is that? It's coming from over there…_

Keiichi noted that one of his weak spots was letting curiosity get him almost all of the time. He turned around and pushed himself through the trees to the source of that foul smell, which only intensified when he got closer. At that point, the poor boy was truly struggling to hold his lunch in. He was sure that he was about to spew it out all over the ground.

And when he caught sight of what was before him, he did.

Right in front of him was a horribly mutilated corpse. It was a male, and the guy had died a terrible death. He had claw marks all over his body, and several piercings from what Keiichi assumed to be fangs. One of his eyes had been clawed right out, just like the book of demons had described.

And at moment, there was no doubt that a demon had done it.

Keiichi got a closer look at the corpse, just so he could look at his face. He still had one of his eyes, and his face wasn't touched _too _much aside from the missing eye.

"H…Hiroshi?"

It was indeed the old man that had shown him around town. It was him without a doubt. He fell backwards on his butt, pushing himself against a tree nearby.

"I thought demons didn't hurt humans without order, though! I thought that…!"

Takano had lied to him. Or maybe she hadn't lied to him. The demon just complied to its master's order, but judging by this, it probably wasn't something too uncommon. Though he had to wonder why someone would hurt an old man like him, and what he could have done to be ordered to die.

"What the hell is up with this place?"

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**This chapter was actually finished yesterday, but be glad I didn't upload it then because I was in a terrible mood. Gosh, I can be so critical of myself sometimes. In fact, my Spanish teacher last year always told me that I was too negative, and that that was my downfall. Man, I should really listen to him and cheer up. …Actually, he switched to our grade this year… so I have him again. He'll probably keep telling me to be positive. And this year, maybe I'll actually listen to him when he says that.**

**I'm actually in study hall right now. If my homeroom teacher notices, she will get me in so much trouble. She was actually the History teacher I wanted to have… and had last year. She's not going to go easy on me if she sees what I'm doing…**

**Don't know when I'm getting my computer back.**

**Please review again! For this chapter, you can get a plushie of Satoshi. I don't know why it's him… but he's huggable anyways! Oh, if you point out typos and such, you will get a piece of well-cooked meat from Rena. Or anything else if you're a vegetarian. And you know, Rena is a great cook.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: I actually had some more time to look over this chapter... for once...**


	5. Chapter 4: The Sonozaki Family

**Crimso's Notes:  
>I want to start off this chapter by apologizing for the delay. I've just had no motivation to write recently, with school and all that. BFB is starting to feel like work as well. It really shouldn't be. I can't wait to get to the good parts… so for that, I want to warn you updates will be slow. I'm sorry. There's not much I can do.<strong>

**One: Okay, so I changed the Sonozaki rules a little bit. I'll explain a little more at the bottom of the chapter so you aren't spoiled, but if anyone comments that they're wrong… well… I know. But for plot's sake, it's necessary.**

**Two: Do note that the size of the Sonozaki Manor is not an exaggeration. In the Watanagashi-hen visual novel, Keiichi describes the garden being **_**huge**_**. It's a little more like property they own, since they also own a whole freaking forest, but they refer to it as a garden. This was omitted in the anime.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 4: The Sonozaki Family**

Class was over, though Keiichi didn't quite want to go home. The only place he felt safe at was the school, which nice Chie looked over. She was the only person Keiichi knew wouldn't do anything bad to him, so he enjoyed his time at school. He didn't have too much suspicion about his friends, other than the fact that they were probably hiding something from him. Although he had to wonder why they were trying to hide such dark secrets from him. Doing so was only hurting him.

_Do they want me to get killed by demons? _Keiichi thought to himself as he drummed his fingers on his desk. _There shouldn't be a reason to hide the existence of demons from me. Now that I know they exist, and that it is possible for them to attack humans… I know it's not safe for me to be here. I've got to find some way to convince my parents to move back. Sure, I do like my friends, but I can't live in a town infested with demons!_

Keiichi didn't know what to tell his parents. He couldn't confess to them about the existence of demons, because he knew for a fact that they wouldn't believe him. His mother had told him that supernatural didn't exist, and that was her firm belief. However, Keiichi now knew better. Demons existed for sure. The corpse, the book, and what Takano had told him lead to this conclusion, and he knew that he couldn't deny such evidence.

_I'm living in a town infested by monsters, and I probably won't be able to escape. …What does this mean for me? Am I going to die? I don't want to die. I'm too young to die. _Keiichi sighed as he grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He knew for a fact that he couldn't stay in the classroom. He had to return home. _I shouldn't be so considered. A demon won't attack me on the way back. …Would one attack me on the way back? …I don't know. I don't think anyone would order one to kill me, but since they killed Hiroshi… I'm not sure anymore._

Keiichi noticed Takeru looking at him, a serious expression on his face. However, when he realized that Keiichi was looking back, his expression softened into a friendly smile. "Ah, Keiichi! You look down," he commented. "What's wrong? Are you sick or something? Or did you get rejected by a pretty girl?"

He shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing of that sort. I'm just having… one of those days. You know what I mean?" he lied to the green-haired boy, trying his best to smile at him.

Takeru tilted his head to the side. "Ah? Is that all? Then, do you want to come to my place? I don't believe I've showed it to you yet, and it's really a cool place. We could do some stuff there and perhaps help you cheer up," he suggested to him.

Keiichi wanted to reject the offer. He had no idea how dangerous Takeru's house was, as he belonged to one of the three great families of Onigafuchi and all that, so it was possible that he owned demons at his house. Actually, he probably did own demons. The Sonozaki family was supposed to be powerful, so the probability of demons living in their house was high. _I don't think I want to encounter such a thing, even if Takeru is my friend…_

The green-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, are you worried about the demons?" he asked him, causing Keiichi to whip around in his seat, startled. Upon noticing his shock, Takeru simply grinned. "…Takano told me what she told you. You're worried about the demons, aren't you?"

Keiichi clenched his fists. So Takano had told him about the conversation he had had with her? _Darn it, Takano! I should have known that she would have told someone about it! …But Takeru's my friend… so I guess I shouldn't be too concerned. But still… damn it!_

"Well you shouldn't be worrying about them, Keiichi. You see, we keep our demons locked up in an underground room located quite far away from the house. The demons wouldn't hurt you unless we told them to, and there's no way that we'd tell a demon to hurt you," he spoke, not even bothering to hide the fact that there were demons in the village anymore. "Takano was right when she said that demons are under human control now. They're basically our pets, just like how a normal family would own a dog or a cat."

Keiichi's fear softened a little bit after listening to him. They were locked up, so they wouldn't hurt him. He still didn't want to go, but he knew that it would be rude to say no, and that it would be best to introduce himself to the Sonozaki family, which was said to be very powerful. His mother and father might have already done so. He slowly nodded. "Yeah, okay. I'll go with you to your house, then," he decided.

Takeru smiled. "Yeah! We can have a lot of fun there. I can show you around the place, I can introduce you to my family, we can talk about pretty girls, we can talk about games, and we can do all sorts of things!" he cried out. Keiichi noted that the boy looked rather excited, perhaps a little too excited. "Haha, sorry about that, Keiichi. Did I surprise you with my excitement?" Takeru spoke, running his hands through his green hair.

Keiichi nodded. "Er… yeah," he admitted.

"Ahaha, well sorry. It's just that I've never really been able to have a guy friend like you, Keiichi. I mean, Satoshi is really shy and all that, and he just blushes and looks away every time I try to talk him about girls or any of that kind of stuff. He kind of prefers Satoko and Rika's company, I think," he explained to the boy in front of him.

Satoshi sure didn't seem like the type of person who would like to talk about such things. He was really shy after all, and it really did seem like he preferred to be around the younger kids. Well, that was probably because Satoko was his little sister, and Rika was Satoko's best friend. Takeru's eccentric personality probably didn't match up to well with Satoshi's shy, meek one, even though they really were friends.

"All right then, let's go, shall we?" Takeru said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Keiichi looked at him with a genuine smile on his face for what seemed to be the first time in forever. Spending some time with his friend would be fun, he told himself. His demons were locked up, so there was no chance of an attack. He would be safe with him. He probably knew how to take care of an angry demon, so if they were to be attacked by any demon, he would be able to handle it. "Okay! Let's head off!"

The two boys exited the classroom and walked into the sun shining brightly down on the village of Onigafuchi. The bright rays were a complete contrast to the actual dark nature of the village. Keiichi never really took notice of the presences of the sun in the village, anyways. The whole place just seemed dark to him, even with it. However, now that he knew he was going to spend a good time over at his friends place, he actually began to note the bright rays. It was refreshing, really.

"So, have you ever spent time like this, Keiichi?" Takeru asked the boy next to him as he walked down the dirt-covered pathways. "I sure haven't, but I've already told you all about that."

Keiichi shook his head. He sure hadn't spent time with a friend like he was now, and he was sure of that. He had never really talked to anyone before he moved. This was a first for him. "Nope. I've never really had friends before this," he answered.

Takeru raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? I wouldn't ever be able to know that by the way you're acting around us. You don't act like you haven't had any friends before," he commented. "Any siblings, then?"  
>"Nah. I'm an only child," he answered.<p>

"Ah. Well, I hear that siblings can be annoying sometimes, so I'm not sure if I'd ever want a sibling," Takeru commented as he squinted his eyes, trying to make out his house. "But Satoko and Satoshi are very close siblings, so I suppose that that siblings are very close a lot of the time." He paused for a moment, a troubled expression on his face as he rubbed his temples and let out a large sigh. "…I don't really know," he started up again.

Keiichi simply grinned at him. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. We have such great friends anyways," he replied. He then turned his head to look off into the distance, trying to catch sight of Takeru's house. He wasn't sure what it looked like, but judging by his family's status, they probably had some rather large house.

Takeru nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, of course! Everyone is glad that you decided to move here, Keiichi, even though it's such a twisted place. We were shocked, to say the least, when we heard about the new transfer student coming in." he spoke to him as he continued to glance about the area in front of him. "You have no idea how happy people were. Rena was really glad that she was going to get a new friend."

Keiichi chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that," he commented.

"Yeah, though, no offense or anything, I was hoping that a girl would transfer in. You know, because Rena's the only girl our age and I was concerned that you might develop feelings for her or something," he replied, his voice apologetic. "But I don't mind, really. I'm glad that it was you who transferred in."

"Hah, well you don't need to worry about that. I don't think Rena's really my type, anyways," he replied as he kicked some dirt with his feet. "…Are you really serious about Rena, or are you just flirting with her because it's fun?" he asked him.

Takeru looked startled. "Now why would I flirt with her if I don't like her? That would be really misleading! I just chose to make my feelings obvious. Doesn't matter anyways. Rena doesn't like me back. If she did, she would have done something about it already," he replied, focusing his eyes on the house located far in the distance. He squinted, trying to make it out. "Er..."

_Ah, is that really so? The flirting looked a little more like playing to me. He's kind of the type that would do that, I think. But if he says he really likes her, then I guess he really likes her. _"Are you sure about that? Because Rena blushes a whole lot when you flirt with her like that."

The green-haired boy let out a sigh. "Sadly, Rena would blush if a three-year-old were to call her the slightest bit pretty. She's embarrassed quite easily. It's nothing actually," he explained. "Maybe someday, though. We'll see what happens."

Keiichi didn't know what to say after that, so he stopped the conversation and began to observe the area around him. He hadn't really gone down this path before, and it was a little different than most. He crossed his arms as he looked about the green grass that swayed in the wind. There were a few cars parked here and there, which was rare for a small town like Onigafuchi. Was there some reason for that?

"Well, here we are," Takeru spoke as he pointed to his right.

Keiichi turned to look at where he was pointing, and his eyes grew wide as he did so. There was a gigantic garden surrounded by fences, and to Keiichi, it looked a little more like a chunk of land that they owned rather than a small garden. It was huge. There were many different types of flowers blossoming all over the place, and the whole place was rather grassy. He could see a pond with Koi swimming about in it in the distance, and there was what seemed to be a forest on the side. A path went down the middle of it and went straight, leading to a gigantic house.

"T-This is your place?" Keiichi spoke, stunned.

Takeru nodded, a grin on his face when he saw how surprised the boy next to him was. "It sure is my place! Now follow me. There are security cameras around the place so they'll probably get mad at you and think you are some kind of robber if you wander off," he explained to his friend.

Keiichi just nodded, and Takeru opened the gate to his garden. They both stepped inside, and Keiichi began to scan around the area once again. It really was huge. _This thing could hardly be called a garden! It's more like a whole park!_

Takeru led the way down the paths and Keiichi followed him close behind, and on the way, he glanced at the many different kinds of plants that grew in the garden. He tried to count the different kinds of plants he saw, but he gave up after a minute or so. There were just too many. The whole garden was simply amazing, and he could tell that Takeru's family was probably _extremely_ rich.

The two of them reached the front door, and Takeru opened it. "The place is rather old and traditional, just so you know," he explained to his friend as he held it open. "So don't be too surprised by the fact that it's not modern, all right?"

Keiichi nodded as he stepped inside of the house, gasping as he saw what was inside of it. It was very, very traditional, complete with sliding doors and Japanese art. The front room was very extravagant, and he had to wonder if all of the rooms were the same way.

"Well, let me show you to my room, and then I'll introduce you to all of my relatives," Takeru spoke. "There are quite a few people staying with us now since the local festival is coming up, so don't be surprised. That's why all the cars were parked outside."

Takeru lead the boy down the hallways that were decorated with traditional Japanese art. Each piece looked rather expensive, and Keiichi was surprised to see how well they kept the place. They probably had a lot of servants working to keep everything clean. It was probably just too much for one person to take care of. There were many rooms, and he had to wonder if all of them were currently in use. Did they really need so much space, or were they just showing off how rich they were?

And then, he wondered where they kept the demons. Takeru had told him that they kept them locked up in an underground room far away from the Sonozaki Manor, so he figured that he would be fine. Takeru wouldn't take him down to take a look at them unless he asked, and even then he probably wouldn't take him down to look at them. Not that he wanted to see the demons. They probably looked twisted and evil, disgusting and hideous. That certainly wasn't a sight that he wanted to see. _I'll probably run into one some time or another, though…_

Takeru slid open a door, and gestured for Keiichi to come inside with him. He did so, and with one look, he knew that the room had to be his bedroom. It was huge, and it contained a whole bunch of clothing that he had thrown all over the place. Books were scattered about the floor, and the futon hadn't been made neat. _Wow, this guy really doesn't bother to take care of his stuff, huh? Oh well. I supposed that most people our age are like that._

"Hey, Sonozaki-san, how old did you say you were again?" Keiichi asked the green-haired boy.

Takeru blinked. "I'm a year younger than you, remember? Oh, and, just Takeru please. Sonozaki-san makes it sound like you don't know me or something," he requested.

Keiichi nodded and sat down on the floor, scooting himself away from the piles of used clothing that had been scattered across the room. Takeru yawned as he fell back on his futon, sprawling himself out on it. "Well, that's a school day done, and now we can just hang out for a little bit. Just warning you, though, my grandmother's probably going to come in soon and start bothering me to do a whole bunch of work. So when that happens, you can go stay with my family and introduce yourself to everyone."

Keiichi felt uncomfortable about the situation. The idea of staying with someone else's family just seemed a little awkward, especially since he didn't know anyone aside from Takeru, who wouldn't be there. He didn't say anything, however. Takeru had to do his work, whatever that was. Keiichi was sure that it had something to do with his position as the heir to the Sonozaki family, though, which was probably something that he didn't want to get into.

"Okay! So let's talk about things. First off, how are you liking the village so far?" the green-haired boy asked his friend.

"It's nice," Keiichi answered instantly, trying not to let his fears about the nature of the village show. "It's a lot different from the city, that's for sure. But that's a good thing. Now that I think about it, I didn't really like that dirty old place, anyways." He thought back to the time where he shot the girl with his gun, frowning at the memory. His action movie turned bad was the only thing that had been entertaining about the city. Well, before the turned bad part happened, anyway.

Takeru grinned. "Well I'm glad to hear that! City people are always so stuck up about how amazing their city is compared to our measly little town. People are rather cruel to us. Okinomiya is used to us, but people from other towns and cities don't like us because… well, we're from Onigafuchi. Onigafuchi is said to be infested by demons. People don't take well to that, and no one dares to challenge us."

That made sense. He was still scared of Onigafuchi, despite being a village, and he could completely understand why someone wouldn't want to challenge the village or why they would be scared. "Has anyone ever tried to challenge Onigafuchi before?"

"Once," Takeru answered. "…That was a little incident called the Onigafuchi Dam Project, in which they tried to build a dam that would flood our village. If they had gone through with that, then this whole place would be under a lake! We wouldn't have a place to stay!" He looked a little angry at the thought, understandably.

"And how did that go over?" Keiichi asked.

"Oh, not so well for the people trying to build the dam. Kimiyoshi just got out his demons, threatened to maul everyone involved in the dam to death, as well as actually carrying out a few murders, and that was enough to send them screaming home. Didn't bother after that. It barely lasted two days!" he continued to explain to his friends as he tried to recall the memory. "It was nothing, really. Most people have forgotten about it."

It really seemed like nothing to Keiichi. Though he felt a little bit afraid at the idea of someone threatening to maul people with demons. That was certainly a good reason to abandon the project and run. He would have done the same thing if he were managing the dam.

"And that, Keiichi, is why we're thankful to have demons on our side. Sure, they were once our enemies, but Kimiyoshi Koichi took down their king, and now they're nothing but pets. So that's why you shouldn't worry," he spoke, playing with the sheets of his futon. "They're really nice, actually. Well… some of them more so than others. Most are reluctant about the whole thing, but there's nothing they can do."

"How many demons do you have?" Keiichi asked without thinking.

Takeru rolled over on his futon so that his dark green eyes met his blue ones. "Oh, we have quite a few," he said nonchalantly. "But I don't ever go down there. We have other people who take care of the demons. The guy who is currently in charge of them is my uncle. He feeds them and all that stuff. We don't tend to use them, really. But maybe they'll come in handy some day. Who knows?"

That didn't really make too much sense in Keiichi's head. What was the point of keeping demons if you weren't going to do anything with them? They had to be something behind that, another reason why they were keeping the demons. It was probably to prevent them from attacking, but if they were really in charge of the demons, they could just order them to commit suicide and be done with all of them.

"I don't get it, either, but my grandmother insists on keeping a few. There's nothing I can do about that until I'm head, which will be quite a while. And who knows? Maybe there will be some great battle and we'll need the demons. Best to be prepared for anything," he spoke as he picked at a lose string on his futon. "They won't do anything to anyone now that they're under our rule. They're practically puppies until we tell them to be demons. Koichi was really amazing for being able to take down a king that powerful. His name was Makoto. He was a powerful demon who killed countless numbers of humans, and yet, Koichi managed to kill him. It was quite a feat."

"And then he enslaved them." Keiichi added.

Takeru nodded. "That's right. With their king dead, he forced all the demons to obey him, and then he gave the demons to the three great families. Each family sold demons to other villagers, and now most villagers keep a demon or two. The only families that have more than a few are the three great ones, though. Kimiyoshi has the most by far. We only have a few, and so does the Furude Family," he explained to the boy.

So that meant that Rika owned demons too. Keiichi shuddered at the thought of such a little girl owned so many ferocious demons. _Ah, I guess that's why she said that Hayashi visits Takeru and Rika often. It's because their family has demons, and he is the demon doctor. It makes sense now… _

"Ahaha. Rika's nice to her demons. Most of them are really kind to her back, except for one or two," he spoke, noticing the surprise on the other male's face. "But that's Rika for you. She's nice to everyone. Heck, she would even be nice to those _extremely_ creepy demons that Kimiyoshi owns. My gosh, they're the worst in all the village. But he's nice, so he won't hurt you with them. He's only used them for scaring away the dam people."

That didn't sound too convincing to Keiichi. If no one would hurt anyone with a demon, then why did Hiroshi die? Those marks were certainly from a demon. Someone had killed him with a demon. So then, did Kimiyoshi do it? Did he use those ferocious demons Takeru was talking about to maul the poor guy to death? Or perhaps another villager used their single demon to kill him for some reason. That was possible, too. But the fact was that someone had definitely ordered a demon to kill someone, and that it was possible that it could happen again.

Takeru sat up in his futon before pulling himself off, brushing off his school clothing. "Well, before Grandmother starts pestering me, let's go and introduce you to my family. I'll leave you there with them to let you get to know them further. They're a little boring to me because they're my family, but you may like them," he spoke, gesturing for the other boy to stand up. "I need to do some work with Grandmother…"

Keiichi nodded, and Takeru walked out of the room. He followed the other boy close behind as he wondered what his family would be like. Were they a bunch of old, creepy people, or were they actually nice? It seemed that most of Onigafuchi's population were old men and woman, so it might be the same for this family. Of course, there were always his parents, who couldn't be too old. However, his main concern was whether or not they would take well to him, an outsider, or if they would be rude to him.

But surely they wouldn't treat a visitor badly. They would probably welcome him and act really sweet, though if they did so, it would probably creep him out just a little bit.

Takeru slid open a sliding door, revealing a bunch of people all seated at a table, some of the sipping hot tea. They all turned to look at the green-haired boy, stopping whatever conversation they had been having.

"Ah, Takeru!" cried a man. "You're a little late. But that's all right. We were just discussing random things that came to our head, nothing much."

"Sorry, Dad," he apologized. "But today I was late because I wanted to introduce my new friend to you."

A woman with green hair raised her eyebrow. "Ah, the new villager?" she commented. By the looks of it, she had to be Takeru's mother. The green hair made it undeniable.

"Yup! His name is Maebara Keiichi, and he's standing right behind me," Takeru said to his family. He then stepped aside, revealing the nervous brown-haired boy.

Keiichi gulped as he felt a few pairs of eyes rest on him. They didn't look they were hostile at all, or even rude in the slightest bit. It was actually rather reassuring, though he still felt a little nervous. The people before him were people who were a part of the Sonozaki family, a family that was said to own demons and be very, very powerful. These people were above him. Would they take well to an outsider?

"Ah, well he looks like a promising young man!" another man commented. "It's good to see another lively young man like you, Takeru. I can see why you made friend!"

The green-haired woman smiled at him. "Ah, Maebara Keiichi. We've heard a lot about you. Come and sit down with us!"

Takeru led the nervous brown-haired boy to an unoccupied seat, and he then sat next to him. He looked at Keiichi and gave him a reassuring smile, silently telling him that it was okay. His family certainly wouldn't be rude to him, and they would certainly take well to him.

"U-Um… he's already said this, but I'm Maebara Keiichi. It's nice to meet you," was all the boy managed to get out of his mouth. He felt a lump in the back of his throat, almost preventing him from speaking all together.

A man smiled. "Ah, no reason to be nervous! We're all friend here, right?" he spoke, nudging the man who sat to his left.

He nodded. "We sure are. Maebara-san, is it? Well it's nice to meet you!"

Takeru pointed to the man who had just spoken. "This here is my father, and the man next to him is my uncle, Yasuo," he explained to his friend.

_Ah, his uncle. He means the one that takes care of the demons, as he was saying before? _He gave them both a nervous smile. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you both," he managed to stammer out. Yasuo was in charge of the demons, so he was a possible suspect as to who had killed Hiroshi. However, he tried his best not to think about that. It seemed rather rude to him.

"And this is my mother, Akane," he said, gesturing to the green-haired woman seated next to Takeru's father. "Mom, this is Keiichi, as you already know. He's a little nervous, so please treat him well. I have to do some work with Grandmother, so…"

Akane nodded. "All right, I understand. We'll be nice to him, I promise," she spoke, turning to give the brown-haired boy a smile.

Takeru also nodded as he stood up from his seat. "Well, now I have to go. Keiichi, talk to them a for a little bit while I go take care of family matters. Oh, and Uncle Yasuo? You need to go check on _them._ Did you bring meat _this_ time?" he asked his uncle.

Yasuo rubbed his head. "I forgot."

"Well that's fine. I guess they can live without it… I don't know much about them, though. Well, see ya," he spoke before he walked out of the room.

Keiichi knew for a fact that he had been referring to the demons. _Meat? I wonder what kind of meat he's talking about._ Perhaps they were referring to… human meat? _No, perhaps they just bought some beef or something like that to satisfy them… for the most part. Besides, I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. I need to talk to these people…_

"So, how are you liking Onigafuchi so far, Maebara-san?" Yasuo asked, startling the boy and breaking him away from his thoughts. "I'm sure that it's completely different from the rotten old city."  
>Akane smiled. "I do believe that most people prefer the city, though. What's your view on that?"<p>

Keiichi scratched his head, feeling a little nervous now that Takeru wasn't by his side. But these relatives seemed rather nice to him, so he knew that he should act normally around them and not think about morbid things like demons. This was just a simple little chat, and that was it. "Well, I think I like it better than the city. It's a nice place and the air is really fresh."

Takeru's father laughed. "Oh, but isn't the city so much more fun? You have food stands everywhere, restaurants, shops, attractions… you guys have everything! Meanwhile, this place has nothing."

"Well, I was bored in the city anyways. The people in the city are rather rude and they're not very friendly," he recalled, thinking back to when people at school bullied him. Now that he looked back on it, he realized it wasn't a very pleasant memory at all. He hadn't minded before, but now that he actually had friends, that memory just seemed sour.

"The people here are rather nice, I agree!" Yasuo spoke. "Especially Takeru, hm? He's a really nice young boy. Shame he hasn't been doing too much with his life recently," he commented, glancing over to Akane.

_So, he hasn't been doing anything up until now either? I guess he's kind of like me in that sense_. Keiichi ran his fingers through his hair as he thought about this.

Akane grinned. "It's wonderful that you're such a lively young man, Keiichi-san. I think that's just what my son needed," she said before taking a sip of her hot tea.

Takeru's father nodded in agreement. "Ah, he's been so bored recently. He's got Satoshi to talk to, but you know, that poor boy is so frail and shy that it's hard for him to really have a blast with him. I mean, they're friends and all that, but…" he sighed. "Well, I'm glad that you've moved in here. My son has taken quite a liking to you!"

"Yeah. He's had no one," Akane added on. "He's got no living siblings, either, so it's a little rough for him at home…" She paused for a moment, and her presence almost turned melancholic. She let out a sigh. "…But that's a different story…"

Takeru's father frowned. "You don't have to remember that, Akane. We've got Takeru now, so…"  
>Keiichi was a little puzzled as he watched the scene before him. <em>Wait, did she just say that he doesn't have any <em>living_ siblings? So does that mean that mean that he had siblings before, and they passed away? _He allowed the curiosity to show on his face, as he wasn't really trying to control his expressions.

Akane noticed Keiichi's curious expression, and she shot him a sad smile. "You're probably wondering what we're talking about, huh? Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you," she spoke, glancing at her husband, who simply nodded in response.

Keiichi knew there wasn't much else to say, so he didn't object to the idea of being told a story. It might give him some information about Onigafuchi that he might need, anyways.

"Ahaha. Well," Akane paused as she tried to figure out her words, and just by that, Keiichi could tell that the memory was probably painful to her. "…You know, before I had Takeru, I had twins."

That certainly caught Keiichi's interest. "You did?" he replied.

Akane nodded, looking down at her reflection in her tea. "Yeah, I d-did. I had twins." The expression on her face was one that was full of sorrow, and Keiichi couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her, even if he didn't exactly know what the story was. But judging by what she had said before, it was likely that those twins probably weren't alive anymore. "…I… didn't really get to know them… at all."

Keiichi looked curious. "At all?"  
>Takeru's father nodded, noticing the pain in his wife's expression. He too looked sorrowful. "I-It's not a very pleasant tale, but the Sonozaki family has a bunch of really strange traditions…"<p>

Akane nodded slowly. "Very, very strange ones. And for some reason, one of them says that the birth of twins in the Sonozaki family is prohibited! They say that they are cursed, and that they should be killed instantly. So that's just what they did! As soon as those twins were born, they took them from me and murdered them! I didn't even get to see what they looked like, or even know their genders. They took them from me before I could even give them a single glance and killed them!" She looked down at the table, clenching her cup of tea tight. Keiichi could see a few tears, but he said nothing. "I mean, I didn't really know my children… but it's still sad. I carried them for nine months, after all. I kind of felt this connection with them… even if I never got to know them…"

It truly was a sad and twisted tale. It was simply cruel to murder a child, especially one that had just been born. Those twins would never get a chance at life, all because of the Sonozaki family's twisted rules. It just showed Keiichi that Onigafuchi was really a messed up town, one that he certainly didn't want to live in. _If only they hadn't been born in this town. In that case, I'm sure they would have been able to have a chance at life…_

Takeru's father pulled his wife into a tight hug. "You don't have to remember it, dear. Just think about how happy we are with Takeru now," he whispered to her.

Yasuo looked down at his tea, not commenting on the story. He had a rather dark expression on his face, but he didn't look upset in the slightest. _God, he doesn't feel sorry for her at all? That's just not right!_

Suddenly, the sliding door opened, revealing Takeru's figure. "Ah, sorry about that. Turns out Grandmother just wanted to have a quick conversation and that's it," he explained to them. "Ah? Mom? Are you all right?"

Yasuo shot Takeru a glance. "She's fine. She was just talking about _that_ story," he explained to him.

Takeru frowned. "Ah, I don't like that story. It's sad. I really wish I could have had two older siblings," he sighed, running a hand through his brown hair. "But I guess that life is cruel. I don't want to have to do such things when I'm head of the family…"

Keiichi certainly couldn't see Takeru killing two helpless children or doing anything of that sort. The picture of him doing so just didn't fit. _Well, perhaps he'll change things around when he's the head of the family…_

Takeru let out another sigh and then shook his head, trying to get the idea of having siblings out of his head. He was an only child, and he had spent his years bored because he didn't have too many people to talk to. The idea was probably just depressing. "In any case, Uncle Yasuo… you should probably check in on the demons just to make sure they're all right. You know, check to see if none of them have died or anything. Not that they would, but…"

Yasuo nodded, standing up instantly. "Of course. Thank you for reminding me," he murmured before he walked out of the door, not even bothering to say goodbye to them.

Keiichi glanced over to his friend. "So, now that you don't have any work to do… what should we do?"  
>Takeru looked over to his parents once again, a worried look on his face. "Hm, I think we should probably go outside. My parents probably need some time after recalling <em>that<em> horrid, painful memory." He winced at the thought. "Yeah, let's go explore the garden."

Keiichi nodded and stood up, glancing over to Takeru's parents once again. The idea of having your children killed was just terrible, especially the idea of killing them when they were only babies. It was probably something that they wouldn't ever get over, though quite understandably so. He murmured a quick goodbye to them, but he was sure that they wouldn't have heard him if he had said it any louder, anyways.

The two friends wandered down the hallway and exited the gigantic house, once again meeting the fresh outside air. Keiichi took a deep breath as he stepped out onto the path, gazing at the grass and flowers around him. It was a wonderful garden, with a traditional Japanese style in the front of the house. He wasn't sure where he wanted to explore first.

Takeru chuckled. "Let's sit down for now."

The two of them sat outside in the grass. Being outside in such an extravagant garden felt nice, especially since Keiichi hadn't really been in such a relaxing place before. This was even better than the outside of the Furude Shrine! It was completely different from the loud, annoying city, which had cars honking all the time and a bunch of people shouting. It was really much more pleasant in the garden.

"Don't worry too much about what my mom told you. …It's just that there's a legend saying that twins will bring doom to Onigafuchi, and my grandmother believes in such stories. It's sad, but we got to move on," he said, playing with a single blade of grass. "Besides, if they had lived, mom would have never had me. There wouldn't have been a reason to have me. So either way, I couldn't ever have siblings."

"I'm sorry," murmured Keiichi, not sure what else to say.

"Don't be. It's really nothing," muttered Takeru.

A few moments of silence followed, in which Keiichi thought a little bit about what he had heard. Did people really believe in such things? Perhaps it was really true and the twins _were_ cursed, but Keiichi highly doubted that idea. Still, killing a kid was a sick, messed up thing to do. If that was the kind of thing that went on in this village, then Keiichi knew that he had to convince his mom to move away. Sure, it was nice in Onigafuchi, but there was surely a village that was just as beautiful that did not have any demons or anything morbid. Even if the killing of those two didn't affect him in the slightest, it gave him an idea of what kind of things went on in this twisted village.

"Let's go walk in the forest," Keiichi said.

Takeru looked surprised. "There's really nothing there, though."

Keiichi shrugged. "So what? I'm bored of just sitting around. Let's go."

Takeru stood up, and the two of them went back on a separate path that led into the small forest that they owned. The fact that they owned such a thing in a garden made Keiichi realize just how rich the family was. Sure, he had realized they were incredibly rich before, but now he had to wonder just how _rich _they were. It was like they owned a little park, which no one else could enter.

The forest wasn't too much, as expected. It was just a bunch of trees, but Keiichi enjoyed it anyways. It felt nice just to wander sometimes, and to think about life.

Would his parents listen to him if he said that demons really did exist? They probably wouldn't, but perhaps he would try. He would miss his friends a lot, but the last thing he wanted to do was live in a village with demons. They said that the demons weren't going to hurt him, but he knew better. Hiroshi was killed. He could be next. The demons weren't harmless, and Hiroshi's death was just proof of that.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a door being opened, and he whipped around to see steel doors embedded by a cliff. Yasuo stepped out of them, looking rather surprised to see his nephew and his friend standing right there. He held a single key in his hand, which was probably the one that locked the doors.

Since Yasuo took care of the demons, and he had said he was going to do so, that probably meant that the doors right there led to where the demons were. Keiichi could feel his heart race. Demons were right there, so close to him. Sure, they were underground, but they were still nearby. The idea scared him.

And yet, at the same time, Keiichi felt curious. What if he were to go inside and see the demons? Would they attack him? And what did the demons down there look like? How many demons were down there? He was dying to know the answers, but he knew that he couldn't just run in there. Besides, what if he did? What if the demons attacked him and killed him? That wouldn't be good at all. Still, he was curious about it, and the thought that he could answer all his questions there and then was too much.

Yasou slammed the doors shut and locked it. He tossed the key to Takeru, who caught it in one hand. "Let me know when you need it again. I'll just put it back in my room for now," Takeru said.

Yasou nodded. "Thank you."

"How are they?" Takeru asked.

"Hm… fine. The demons are never too pleased to see me, but that's something I'm used to. Besides, they can't do anything," he spoke nonchalantly. To Keiichi, it seemed that he had no fear of the creatures whatsoever.

_Oh yeah, they can't attack me because they don't have orders. Then, if I were to go down there… would I be able to answer my questions?_

He shook the idea out his head. He couldn't go down there, even if he wanted to. He told himself he didn't want to go down and see the demons, anyways. They were probably hideous and he was sure he didn't want to look at something hideous and twisted. Besides, he was scared of the demons, even if they couldn't do anything to him.

Yasou walked away, and Takeru glanced at Keiichi. "Sorry about that. Let's move on then, shall we?"

Keiichi nodded, still looking at the steel doors. Takeru turned away from them and began to head back, but Keiichi still couldn't take his eyes off of them. The demons were in there. He could see them for himself and judge whether or not the demons were bad for himself. He clenched his fists as he glanced at the key in Takeru's hand, only to turn back and look at the doors.

_No. You're being silly, Maebara Keiichi, _Keiichi told himself, _so let's just get going…_

And before Takeru could question why he wasn't moving, Keiichi ran to him, starting up a random conversation to make him forget about what had just happened.

But in his head, Keiichi couldn't shake the idea of going to see the demons for himself off. If he could see them, then maybe, just maybe, he could conquer his fears and answer any questions he had…

_Again… that's just me being silly. …I need to move on from this and forget about the doors. Demons are evil. And I don't want to see a demon…_

Deciding to go with that, Keiichi tried his best to forget about the doors, and to continue on with his time with Takeru like normal.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Ugh. That's a terrible way to end the chapter. But it's 12:53 AM, it's Wednesday (well, Thursday now, since it's 12 AM), and I have school tomorrow, and the only reason why I'm writing this is because I feel terrible for not updating in a while. I kind of just want to upload this for now so that I can go to sleep. I need to look over it, too, which is going to take quite a bit. I was thinking of putting this on hold due to the MASSIVE amounts of work I'm getting, but I don't think I'll do that. I'll let you know about that later.**

**AND Now we talk about the lovely, beautiful, amazing Sonozaki Twins. Yes, here, the rule is that you kill both twins. Some places it says one, some places it says both, so due to the plot, I'm going with both. So don't comment on this and say I'm wrong, because I will not be happy :c.**

**I don't know when the next update is. I'll try to do stuff on the weekends, and maybe tomorrow, but Friday is my birthday and I don't know what I'll be doing then. **

**Review please! Reviewers can get a model of the Sonzaki Manor to go with the Furude Shrine. People who point out typos shall get more of Rena's cooking, because my brain is dead and I can't think of anything else.**

**~Crimso.**

**P.S: My computer is still in the tech center, in case people are wondering. I really want to get to editing GED, but...**


	6. Chapter 5: Underground

**Crimso's Notes:**

**This is my first chapter started in class. I'm in History class, and I have nothing to do. So I wrote this. By the way, I did that way too much with GED. Luckily, I was never caught. Let's see how long that lasts. **

**One: Please let me know if I'm going too fast with this. Not updates, just the pace of the story in general**

**Two: Once again, this is a rather face paced chapter. **

**Three: Things will slow down. I'm planning on that happening after this chapter.**

**Four: Again, the Sonozaki Manor is huge and the size is no exaggeration.**

**With that, please enjoy.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 5: Underground**

It was the middle of class, but Keiichi still couldn't bring himself to pay any attention to his work. It was a bitter reminder of his times in the city, and that was something he would rather not remember. But that was one thing, and the idea of demons living in the village was another. He had told his parents about the demons last night, and how the legends of the village were true, but both of them didn't believe him, as expected.

_"Keiichi, dear, there's no such thing as demons. I think you're just being a little too uptight about this. Please don't worry. I wouldn't have sent you to this place if demons existed," his mother told him gently._

_ "Yeah. Just enjoy yourself, all right, son? Nothing is going to happen to you." his father replied, a grin on his face._

Keiichi wanted to believe in their words, but he knew otherwise. Demons certainly did exist in Onigafuchi. Takano told him, and Takeru wasn't denying it. He outright stated that he had demons in their basement, which he assumed not to be a lie. They were the Sonozaki family, after all, and the Sonozaki Family was a very rich, wealthy family, known by all of Onigafuchi and Okinomiya. It was certain that they had _some _demons.

He knew for a fact that he would be caught in this cursed town for the rest of his life. There was no way to escape his fate in the town aside from running away, which didn't seem to be the best idea to him. He had no idea where he would get food, and aside from that; he himself didn't have enough money to support himself. _I just need to tell myself that the demons aren't going to get me. They aren't. It's impossible for them to get me. …Takeru will stop the demons that try to attack me, won't he?_

He glanced over to his friend, who was now working on his math homework. He wrote down the questions to the problems with ease. It was clear to Keiichi that he was a good student, one that cared about his grades. He used to be that way, didn't he? Not that he didn't care at all about his grades now. He still cared about them, but in a town full of demons, such was the last thing on his mind.

But right now, something else was bothering him, something that was related to demons, but quite different. He was thinking back to the time where he had seen those steel doors that led to the place where the Sonozaki Family kept their demons. He had been so tempted to break in there at that time, and to see the demons for himself. He wasn't sure why, though. Even now, the memory of the metal doors was bothering him. He was tempted to go down there and see the demons for himself, to find out the answers to his questions. The demons wouldn't hurt him, after all. Humans controlled them now, and if they weren't ordered to kill him, they probably wouldn't.

If he went down there, he could figure out exactly what they looked like and find out how they were kept. Perhaps he could even speak to them and ask them a few questions, if they even knew how to speak properly, that was. They were probably hideous beings, but the curiosity of it was now overtaking his sense of fear. Even if they were scary beings, Keiichi was now more interesting in finding out the answers to his questions. And the only way to do that now was to break into the basement and find out for himself.

If he asked Takano, she would probably go off and tell Takeru again. He didn't want to make it seem like he was scared of the village. Surely it would hurt his friends, who thought that he had such a positive view of the village. He couldn't allow them to be hurt over such a matter.

He glanced over to look at Satoko and Rika. Both of them were working on an art project, and Satoshi was helping them a little bit. Rena, on the other hand, had her head buried into a book she was supposed to write an essay on. None of them seemed to be troubled by the idea of demons. He had to become like them if he were to live in the village, and to do that, he had to live up to his fears.

"Takeru," Keiichi called to the boy next to him.

The green-haired boy stopped his work and turned to look at him with curiosity in his eyes. "Yeah, Keiichi?"

"Can I… come over to your house today? I know that you probably have work to do with your grandmother, but that's fine if that's the case. I just really need someone to hang out with today. I'll stay in your room while you do your work," he asked him, feeling a little nervous. The question seemed to come out of the blue. In truth, while Takeru was doing his work, Keiichi was going to bust into the place where they kept the demons and take a good look at them for himself. Then, his questions would be answered, and he would perhaps overcome his fear of demons. He needed to do so in order to live in this town.

Takeru blinked at him, confusion and surprise lighting his forest-green eyes. "I suppose you could come over if you want to. I have no problem with that, other than the fact that my grandmother wanted me to do some extra work today, so it might take a little while longer. Is that fine with you?"

Keiichi nodded. "It's fine. It's completely fine. I just want to come over to your house. We can talk about things after you're done with whatever your grandmother wants you to do."

With that, it was decided. He was to go to the Sonozaki Manor that day and burst into the demons' area, as much as the thought scared him. He gulped at the idea of a hideous, monstrous demon attacking him, but he had to remind himself that such probably wouldn't happen with the humans' rule over demons. His hands were trembling, but he tried to ignore them. He had to be brave if he was going to live in this town. There was no other option.

And so, when school was over, Keiichi followed Takeru down the dusty paths of Onigafuchi to his house. Along the way, he thought about how he was going to break into the doors. Takeru had said to Yasuo, the person who managed the demons, that he was going to put the keys in his room. He wasn't sure where in his room, but he knew for sure that they would be there, which was a pretty good start. The doors were located in the forest, so there was no trouble about that. It was navigating the underground that was a problem, as he had no idea what the place looked like. It was possible that the demons roamed free, and it was possible that the demons were in cages. It could have many confusing paths to the demons, and it could just be a simple room.

Takeru said that there were many demons in the basement. He had to wonder how much he meant by that. Were there around twenty, or did many just mean that there were about ten? Perhaps he had hundreds of demons locked up, though Keiichi doubted the idea of that. Even though the Sonozaki family was rich, he didn't really think that they would have enough money to feed a hundred demons and at the same time support their family and Onigafuchi itself.

He was led through the garden, and then into the house. His mind was not taking in the details of the area around him, as he was deep in thought. He had to make sure that he wasn't caught, or else he knew that he would get a good scolding from the head of the Sonozaki family. Perhaps she would even order the demons to attack and kill him. He gulped at the idea and tried to shake it out. Wasn't that a little much for just sneaking in? He didn't know how the Sonozaki family worked, and how severe the punishment would be for that.

Takeru fell back on his futon with a sigh. "Oh man, I really hate doing work. I mean, I'm good at math and that kind of stuff, but it doesn't seem to be my kind of thing. It's just really boring. I'd prefer to be playing outside or hanging out with you and Rena or something like that."

Keiichi nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. I used to be obsessed with studying, but I really can't bring myself to do that anymore now that I'm here. It's just so much… better, here," he replied, not mentioning the part about his fear of the demons.

"Yup. That's the only thing I can be bothered with, these days. Mom says I should really clean my room up, but I really don't feel like it. What, with all the pressure the Sonozaki Family gives me as heir," he said, then pointing to the piles of dirty clothing laid out all over the room. Shelves were stacked with books and other items, and Keiichi realized that it would probably be tough to find a key underneath all the stuff. "But I don't really care. I keep the stuff I need to keep in my drawer and leave all the other stuff lying about."

Well, that was an answer. The key was probably in his drawer, judging by what he had just said. It was something he certainly needed to be kept, leading to his conclusion. Of course, he couldn't just grab it right now. He had to keep up with the conversation until his grandmother asked him to start work.

"Well, I can see why you wouldn't want to clean up. Being the heir must be a lot of pressure," he commented.

Takeru nodded. "It really is. People even look up to me now! Like when grandmother is asleep, Yasuo comes to me for orders on what he should do with the demons. Like hell I'd know!" he yelled out, slamming his fist down on his futon. "But really, I wouldn't want to give up my position. One day I'll be head of this place, head of the whole village. It'll be a big responsibility…. But…" he paused for a moment. "…You know, the idea is just exciting to me. One day, people are going to look up to me as the head of the Sonozaki family, and I'll forever be in the history books of Onigafuchi as the once great head of the Sonozaki family."

Keiichi wasn't really listening to him. He was more concerned about his method of breaking into the metal doors at this moment, rather than how Takeru thought about his position of the heir of the Sonozaki family. He was half listening, and he simply replied with a "yeah, I see," but he said nothing more than that.

The boy let out a sigh as he pulled himself up. "Well, nothing I can do about that. For now, I have to work hard. I'll become someone respected for sure," he spoke before standing up completely, brushing his school uniform off. "And because of that, I have to go now. Grandmother wants me to help her with quite a bit today, and she says that I have to do extra training since I missed out on a few days. So I hope you can make yourself at home in this room," he said as he looked at the piles of dirty clothing. "…As best as you can, that is…"

Keiichi laughed. "It's okay. I'll just read some of your manga until your done. How long do you think you'll be working for?" he asked.

Takeru scratched his head. "Hm… maybe an hour an a half? Maybe even two hours. I'm not that sure, but it's going to be a long while. Just let my mom know if you get bored and want to leave. She'll tell me after my work is over," he answered.

The brown-haired boy nodded. "Got it."  
>"See ya," Takeru said before he opened the sliding door and left. His footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the hallway, and Keiichi waited for them to fade away before he stood up.<p>

He instantly ran to Takeru's drawer and began rummaging through his stuff frantically. Inside were a bunch of papers from school, along with some school supplies. Keiichi noted that Takeru had gotten rather good grades on his assignments, and that he was doing even better than he was now. He probably could have done much, much better if he wasn't so distracted now, but he let that idea slip out of his head. He couldn't think about such things right now.

Moving on, he fumbled around through his old notebooks. There were several sheets of paper inside with lists of things he needed to do around the house, but he didn't bother to look at them. He didn't need to get into Takeru's personal life with the Sonozaki family right now. Finally, he felt his hand rest on a piece of metal, and he pulled that piece of metal right out.

Just as he thought, it was the key. On it was a label that read "BASEMENT," which indicated that it was indeed the right key. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket and glanced around him as he did so as if to make sure that no one was looking, even though he knew for a fact that there was no one in the room. If he were to be caught taking the key, then it wouldn't be pretty. He placed a hand over his pocket to hide the lump that it created, and then focused on the door.

He pulled it open with a single hand and exited the room. Looking about to make sure that there weren't any servants around, he slowly walked down the hallway, making sure to keep a single hand on his pocket, so that even if someone were to see him, he they wouldn't be able to see the key.

Luck seemed to be on his side that day, as he managed to make it out of the Sonozaki Manor without being caught by anyone. He looked around the garden, making sure that no one was there to see him. Unfortunately, there were a few servants tending to the garden, but they were pretty far away from the forest, so it was possible for him to get over there without being caught by them. He gulped as he began to walk over to the forest slowly, hoping that he wouldn't make too much noise. They seemed to be too occupied with the flowers to notice him, anyways.

He slipped into the depth of the forest and continued down the path. He looked down, noticing that there was indeed no one there. He hoped that no one was inside the demon's basement right now, but there was no way he could be sure of that from there. He just had to hope for the best.

Reaching the metal doors, he pulled the key out from his pocket. With a deep breath, he looked at it. In a moment, he would be entering a basement full of vicious demons. He was practically setting himself up for a disaster, but he knew that he had to overcome that fear at all costs. With another deep breath, he thrust the key into the lock and turned it. The metal door's lock clicked open, and he pulled the doors apart. Right in front of him was a dark, dark room, and he could see stairways leading downwards into the demon's basement.

He entered, and then locked the door tightly. He placed the key back in his pocket and then turned to look around before him. He could feel his heart race, but he tried to ignore the fear that was beginning to fill it. "Come on, Maebara Keiichi, you can be brave. You need to do this to survive," he whispered to himself. "The demons won't hurt you, the demons won't hurt you…"

He stepped down the stairs, feeling his heart rate ascend as he descended. The boy could feel fear in him, but he ignored it to the best of his ability. When he reached the bottom, the boy was able to see another door. This one did not have a lock, and it was made of cheap material. Without any effort at all, he opened it. Gulping, he knew that the moment he stepped inside would be the moment he got a look at the faces of many horrid demons. His heart rate was now at a high level, and he could feel the pounding in his chest clearly. He closed his eyes tightly, murmuring a few words of encouragement to himself, and stepped inside the room.

He expected to hear a ruckus from the demons the moment he stepped inside the room, but none of that kind of thing happened. It was practically dead silent in there. Slowly, he opened his blue eyes, preparing to look at what terrible sight awaited him. There were sure to be some horrifying, terrible demons, and he had to make sure he was prepared for that.

Except, when he opened his eyes, all he saw were empty cells. There were no demons.

His eyes widened. How could that be? Takeru said that they had many demons, and that they certainly existed. And yet, he couldn't see any demons around him at all. There were absolutely no demons anywhere, all of the cells being completely empty.

He gulped when he saw bones of the floor of the cells, and he came to two possible conclusions the moment he laid eyes on them. One, they were the bones of humans the demons killed and ate. Two, they were the bones of the dead demons that used to live inside.

"Well, this was certainly anticlimactic," murmured Keiichi, feeling a little disappointed, confused, and relieved at the same time. Disappointed, because he had been hoping to answer some questions he had. Confused, because Takeru had lied to him and told him that they had demons. Relieved, because he was glad that he hadn't been attacked or seen anything horrifying.

And that was when he heard talking coming from far in the basement. It was faint, but he could just barely pick up what they were saying.

"…Hey, do you think that if I use my strength, I could bend the metal and break through the cell?" one voice spoke.

"Stupid, we've already tried that, don't you remember?" the other one reminded the first voice.

"…But there's some use in trying again, right?" the first one replied.

"…No. We've tried that forty-two times," sighed the second one.

"Wait a second, you were counting?"

"Yeah. I have nothing better to do…"

Curiously, Keiichi began to wander further into the basement to find the source of the voice. Those two voices were the only ones that he could hear, and there was nothing else but dead silence. And as he wandered down, he looked into the cells, finding nothing but bones. The demons weren't there.

The voices were getting clearer and clear as he walked along, and their conversation was becoming easier to hear.

"Well, I'm sure we can come up with some better way if we put our minds to it. How about slicing the metal?" the first voice spoke.

"No way! That'll just damage our claws. Besides, I don't know if you could even cut through metal," the second voice responded.

"Well then, I'll give it a shot…"

Keiichi then heard a loud clashing sound, and screeching that sounded like when you ran your nails down a chalkboard. He winced at the sound and covered his ears for a few seconds, waiting for it to die down.

"…Nope. It didn't work," the first voice sighed.

"Just like I thought. How about if we try kicking the door down?" the other one suggested.  
>"Okay, on the count of three… one, two…" the first started<p>

"Wait a second!" cried the other voice.

"Huh?"

"There's someone coming!"

"Oh god. It's probably Yasuo again. I'll what I always do. Growl at him, demand food, act rude, and maybe we'll get it this time… You go hide."

Keiichi heard some scrambling coming from the distance, this time very loudly. He stepped forward, his footsteps echoing on the hard ground beneath him. That was probably what startled the demons. Well, they were probably demons, judging by this talk about claws. He shuddered at the idea of sharp claws, remembering the image of Hiroshi's mutilated corpse. That was how they were to attack him if they were to at all. That was probably how he was to meet his bitter end in this cursed town…

And then, at the very, very, very back of the basement, he spotted a single cell. A single demon stood there in the cell, giving him a malicious glance, the demon's mouths open to show off sharp fangs. And when Keiichi saw the demon, a look of genuine shock painted his face. The demon was nothing like he imagined them to be.

"I know why you came, you came to taunt us about food and… huh?" the demons stopped speaking. "…Who the hell are you?"

As the demon noticed that the person standing in front of them was not one that they had seen before, the demon's eyes filled with confusion. "…What? Did Oryou hire some new guys to take care of us after that Hiroshi guy who was before died? I thought Yasuo was enough."

"I-I'm sorry! I'm nothing of that sort!" he cried out.

Keiichi looked at the demon before him, still feeling shocked at the sight of the demon. What stood there was not a hideous demon with mutated, ugly, disgusting features, but a beautiful young girl around his age. She truly was beautiful, and if he didn't know any better, he wouldn't have known that she was any kind of evil creature.

The demon didn't look any less hostile. "Well then, who are you?" she hissed.

"J-Just a curious newcomer! I-I heard there were many demons in here, so…! I swear, I didn't mean any harm, so please, please, _please_ don't kill me!" he begged, falling down on his knees. He knew that they couldn't hurt him, but he still felt the need to beg for his life. She was still extremely horrifying, even though she was beautiful.

The demon relaxed. Her malicious stance and expression disappeared, replaced with one of relief. "Thank gosh its not some creepy newcomer coming to torture us again."

Keiichi blinked at her, and opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by another voice.

"Is something wrong?" a voice called out. There was a small entrance to another room at the back of the cell, and that was where the voice was coming from.

"No," called the demon. "It's just a curious guy. He seems friendly. Come on out and take a look."

From the room, another demon walked out, a look of relief painted on her face as well. She sat down on the ground next to the other demon, gazing curiously at the boy in front of her. She didn't look hostile at all, sensing that the boy wasn't going to do anything to hurt her.

"…I…I…I…Id-" Keiichi stuttered.

The demon looked confused. "Huh?"

"I…de…. Identical twins!" Keiichi cried out in shock as he looked at the two demons before him. It was true. The demons in front of him were identical in every single way, right down to their clothing. They both had hair of a brilliant green shade, along with matching eyes of a slightly darker color. They were both wearing white kimonos, stained with dust and dirt, which made Keiichi wonder when the last time they were washed was. And looking at their necks, Keiichi noticed that they both had metal collars around them, like what you would see on a dog. They were covered with dull spikes, which were possibly once sharped than needles. They were both the same height, and Keiichi blushed as he also noted the fact that their chests were the same, large size.

The only difference was what was written on the collars. The one on the left had a collar reading _"#27" _while the one on the right had one reading _"#28."_

The demons looked genuinely puzzled. "What's an identical twin?" the one on the right asked.

"You guys are identical twins!" he cried out, pointing to them both. "Identical twins are two people who look exactly alike and have the same mother and were born at the same time! Y-You two are!"

They both looked at each other. "…I've never seen my face before. Do I really look like her?" the left one asked, staring into her sister's green eyes.

Keiichi nodded. "Identical, without a single flaw…"

The word "twins" seemed familiar to Keiichi, in a sense that it was something that held some significance, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it…

"I knew that we were sisters, but this identical thing seems a little fishy to me," said the one on the left as she scratched her head through her long green hair. "I'd have to see myself in a mirror. Which I have never got the chance to do, because the person who looks after us doesn't think we should be able to own anything."

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "Yasuo?"

The one on the left nodded. "Yasuo, I think he was called. He's cruel to us. He's the person who takes care of us, and he doesn't really seem to care too much about us. All he cares about is making sure we haven't died or anything like that." She rolled her eyes at the thought. "Bastard."

"Sis, I don't think you should be using language like that. Oryou told us not to," murmured the one that was seated on the right.

"I haven't seen that old lady in forever. I like her better than the Yasuo dude. At least she's nice to us…"

Keiichi gulped as he looked at them. He had come here to ask them a few questions about demons, and now was his chance to get them answered. He looked about the area, making sure that there really weren't any other demons. "Hey, are you guys really the only demons here?" he asked the two of them. "I… I can't seem to find any other demons around here…"

The left one nodded. "There really aren't any other demons besides us. A few years ago, this place was crawling with demons. There were at least thirty of them, all of them stuffed into cells. Some of them shared cells, some got their own. The one that led the other demons was called Kenji. He was Oryou's most trusted demon, and he was the only one of us allowed to have a human name," she explained to the boy.

Keiichi tilted his head to the side. "A human name?"

She nodded, pointing to her collar. "I'm called Number Twenty-Seven, and my sister is Number Twenty-Eight. The demon in the cell next to us was Number Seventeen, and the other one was Number Twenty-Four. The one in the cell at the very front was Number Two, and the one in the middle cell was Number Fifteen. Kenji was Number One, but he was allowed to have the name Kenji. We aren't."

"And what happened to them?"

Number Twenty-Seven sighed. "I'm not quite sure why, but Oryou and that boy with the green hair came down here one day, when I was still very, very small, and she said to him 'these demons are cursed, we can't go on living this way,' and then she ordered the demons to not bother protecting themselves and slaughtered all of them with her katana. Kenji was the first. He was shocked, but Oryou didn't hesitate to murder him. She went down the cells, killing each and every one of them until she got to the back." She paused, looking down at the ground. "It was horrifying for me and my sister. We were terrified. We clung to each other and began to cry. I remember it very well…"

"B-But you two are still alive? Why?" he asked them.

Number Twenty-Eight shrugged. "She went into our cell, and held the katana high above our heads. The green-haired boy had been protesting the whole time. I remember looking at her with fear, clinging tightly to sis like never before. And then, right as she was about to bring it down, she paused. She lowered it and said, 'I'm weak. I can't bring myself to kill you two,' and then left."

Keiichi tried to make sense of the tale, but he found that he couldn't. It didn't make any sense to him. Why would she kill the demons in the first place, and why would she spare the two in front of him, rather then that Kenji demon, who was her main demon, and the one that she trusted? He was surely the most powerful, judging by the fact that he actually had a name. There had to be some significance about them. Was it because they were small at the time? Or did it have to do with the fact that the two of them were identical twins, something very rare?

And then it hit him. _That's right… they're twins! _The boy instantly remembered the story Akane had told him, about the two twins she had had that were killed at birth. Looking at their similar shade of green hair and eyes, he instantly knew that the two demons in front of him were the twins that had supposedly been killed by Oryou when they were barely a few minutes old. But the truth was that the two of them had never been killed, but they had been kept down here! Keiichi gritted his teeth. They hadn't even bothered telling their mother about their survival, and now she was suffering from the idea that her two children were dead. That was just cruel! Couldn't they see how painful it was to think that her two twins were dead?

"Your mother! I have to tell your mother!" he blurted out instantly. "I have to tell her! She needs to know that you two are alive! Oh god… I wonder what she'll say when she knows you're alive! And Takeru too, oh gosh…"

"Takeru?" Number Twenty-Seven said. "Oh, the boy with the green hair? He knows we're alive all right. He's known forever."

Keiichi's eyes widened. Something about that didn't make sense to him. "Then why the hell doesn't he tell his mom? ! You're his sisters! Your mom needs to know that you're alive!" he blurted out.

"Excuse me, but what's a mother?" Number Twenty-Eight asked.

Keiichi looked shocked by her question. How didn't she know the answer to that one? "Everyone has a mother! A mother is the person who gives birth to you, who created you. You have one too. Except she doesn't know that you two are alive, and she's been so upset over your death this whole time! She would love to meet you. I'm sure that she'd treat you well and love you, even though you're demons…" He froze after he said that out loud. "Wait, your mother's a human, your brother is a human, your father is a human, and so is your grandmother! So why are you two demons?"

The twins looked at each other. "I have heard nothing about a mother, a grandmother, a brother, or a father… nor do I know what half of those terms mean, so I don't know what you're talking about…" Number Twenty-Seven spoke, her eyes narrowed.

Keiichi sighed. "Well, I guess that's something you can't answer," he murmured. "But I'll make sure that you know what I'm talking about sometime…"

He paused. What time was it, anyways? It had been quite a while since he had left the Sonozaki Manor, and he was sure that Takeru would be returning soon. If he came back and didn't see him in the room, he was sure that he would go searching for him. This place was the last place he'd check, and he didn't even have the key, but he knew that he couldn't stay any longer. "I have to go," he told the two demons. "But it was nice chatting with the two of you… you… you demons really aren't as bad as I thought you were," he spoke gently to the two of them, staring into their bright green eyes. He felt some strange attachment to them from talking to them, but he tried to ignore that.

He stood up and began to walk away from them, feeling slight regret at having to leave them there. He felt so bad for the two of them, being locked in the basement all of their life and not being able to even have names or basic things like that. They didn't even know what a mother was, nor that they were identical twins! The idea killed him inside. He wanted to help them, he wanted to save them, but he knew there wasn't anything he could do.

"Hey, you," a voice called out, causing Keiichi to whip around.

"…What's your name?" Number Twenty-Seven asked him.

"Keiichi. Maebara Keiichi," he told them both, not even thinking about the consequences of doing so.

"Thank you… for talking to us," Number Twenty-Seven replied. "It's really nice… to talk to you. You're a very kind person, you know that?" she spoke, a smile on her face.

Keiichi's heart jumped when he saw that smile, and regret at not being able to do anything to save the two demons washed over him yet again. He wanted to be able to leave without thinking about it anymore, but he found that he couldn't. "…Y-You're welcome," he choked out before turning around and walking away. He felt pain at having to leave the two of them. He knew for a fact that the two of them would be spending the next few days inside here, without a single person to talk to aside from each other. Yasuo would treat them cruelly as always, and they wouldn't receive the respect that they deserved. Heck, maybe they would even spend the next few _years _in there without feeling a scrap of love or affection.

And as he was about to leave, he gave the chamber one last glance, thinking about the two demon twins that he had met that day. And as he pictured them, and as he remembered what treatment they'd go through, what treatment they _had_ gone through, and how they would live the next few years, he decided that their meeting today would not be the only one. He would come back for them. He would talk to them again, he would make them feel happy for once in their life. He would teach them things they needed to know, and he would lead them to the best life they could receive.

And from that day on, that became his goal.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Number Twenty-Seven = Mion**

**Number Twenty-Eight= Shion**

**(They gave them random numbers. Mion is the current Mion and Shion is the current Shion. You know... the way we know them now. I hope I'm not confusing you with this) **

**So, you're probably all like "WHOA CRIMSO, SLOW DOWN BUD. You're going waaaaay too fast, dude!" And this is what I say, I know. I'm going super fast, but from this chapter until chapter… hm… thirteen, at this time, this fanfiction will begin to move veeeery slowly. Or at least that's what I plan to happen. And then after that, the same thing will happen.**

**-GREEN-EYED DEMON SPOILERS BELOW-**

**And now, this is where GED fans hit me for making another Demon!Mion. And I'm really sorry for that. That's why I was hesitant to write this fanfiction. Because this fanfiction is also about Demon!Mion, though this time there's also Demon!Shion. However, the demons here are different, so don't be too mad at me D:. And they have logical reasons for being demons. So wait until all is explained.**

**-GREEN-EYED DEMON SPOILERS END HERE-**

**And some people saw this twist coming. Let me tell you that the fact that the Sonozaki Twins were the demons in the basement was NEVER supposed to be a surprise. I wanted you to know that they were alive and okay, so I set it up in a way that you would know. I'll be shocked if you didn't see that one coming. But I guess that would be sort of good. By the way, I realize Mion and Shion are rather... dull, at this point. That's because their development as people has yet to start and that aside, Keiichi has just met them. They have their hidden personalities that they've been unable to show. They will not stay this way.**

**REVIEW! You get a model of the Sonozaki Underground Torture Chamber for reviewing, and the torture weapons don't really work. Pointing out typos will get you a free slice of leftover cake from Friday. And my birthday was awesome, by the way.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: My laptop? Still in terrible condition. My loaner? It broke. My new loaner? It's okay.**


	7. Chapter 6: The Hero

**Crimso's Notes:  
>Hello there! I just spent ten seconds trying to figure out how to spell Crimso. Wow. But that's aside from the point. I'm here with some good news… and some bad news. Well, they hardly relate to you, but I figured that you should know as well… because it also kind of affects fanfics. Mostly GED, though.<strong>

**Good News: The Tech Center returned my laptop to me! YAY!**

**Bad News: …They wiped the harddrive.**

**So yeah. All of my stuff is gone now. All gone. Never to come back. I have my School work backed up from third grade to the end of last year (Yeah, I know, that's a lot of school work ._. ) but that's it. I don't have my GED files anymore, which means I'm going to have to go copy and paste each chapter into a word document and spend forever trying to indent each paragraph… ew. I seriously walked into there, and they went up and said, "OH HI THERE! WE WIPED YOUR HARD DRIVE! NOW YOU HAVE NOTHING! : DDDD". -.-**

**One: Pace has slowed… for the most part. I think, at least.**

**Two: Sorry for the long Crimso's Notes. It won't happen again…**

**Three: MEGA, ULTRA SHORT CHAPTER. Which is also sort of boring.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 6: The Hero**

As the wooden door opened, all the demons turned to look at who had entered the room. There, standing in the doorway, was Rika. It was nothing unusual, so the demons stored in the hidden house located far in the woods went back to doing whatever they were doing, which probably wasn't much, as there really wasn't anything to do in an empty cage. Rika let out a sigh as she stepped through the hallways of the storehouse, the wooden, old floors creaking with each step she took. The bars of each cage were made with metal, metal that even a demon's strength couldn't bend. The only way out was to use a key.

Rika twirled the golden key with a single finger, gazing down the aisles of demons. There were a few who gave her malicious looks, baring their fangs at her and shouting long lists of curse words, but Rika was used to such things happening, She tried to treat each demon kindly, but there were a fair few who didn't appreciate her efforts to do so.

"LET ME OUT, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!" screamed one of the demons as he clutched the bars of his cage, trying to break through the sturdy metal. "YOU KNOW WHAT I WAS? I WAS ONCE LEADER'S MOST TRUSTED DEMON! I'LL KILL YOU WHEN I BREAK FREE! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Rika shot him a silencing glare. "You can't do that, Number Thirty-Two, because I'm your master. There's no way you can break out of the cage, anyways," she pointed out, moving a finger to the stern lock binding the demon inside the cage. "I don't like treating you this way, but it seems as if you will kill me if I don't."

The demon was silenced with that, only murmuring a few words to himself. Rika moved on. She shot glances to any demons that tried to protest, instantly causing their words to die. She didn't really like acting cruel to those demons, but she had no choice but to do so as the heiress of the great Furude Family. With another great sigh, she wandered down the storehouse, until she reached the very back.

There was a cell unlike any other cell in the back of the cage, one with only a single demon sitting inside of it. She wore a black kimono, and her long, orange hair reached halfway down to her waist. Upon noticing that Rika had returned, she stood up, brushing off her somewhat dusty kimono. She walked over to the very end of her cell, wrapping a hand around the steel. "Welcome back, Master Rika. How have you been doing?"  
>Rika frowned. "Kaede, you don't need to be treating me like that anymore. I want you to be a friend of mine, and not a servant. You know, like how you act to Satoko and Satoshi…" she spoke, placing her small hand on the curled fingers of the demon in front of her. "I don't like being the great head of the Furude Family…"<br>Kaede let out a sigh. "I've been serving the Furude Family as the head demon ever since Kimiyoshi Koichi took us from Makoto. It's not like I can abandon my duties to you, Master Rika. It's different with Satoko and Satoshi. They're not great Furudes like you, Master Rika."

The blue-haired Furude rubbed her temples. "Kaede, you've been serving my family for many, many years, and I appreciate how loyal you have been since then. …Kai and Kenji are the same way, aren't they? …Well, that's how Kenji used to be like, before Oryou killed him. Quite a shock, hm?" She played with a strand of her hair as she gazed at the other demons from a distance. "…My parents were surprised when they heard the news, you know. Kenji has been the Sonozakis' Head Demon since… well, since the end of Makoto. It's not like Oryou just to kill him like that. Kai's still alive, though. Kimiyoshi won't _ever_ let go of him."

Kaede nodded her head. "Kenji was a good friend of mine when the two of us and Kai were guarding Makoto's throne as the head guards. Kai has always been a little… distant, though, but who can blame him? It's gotten even worse since Kimiyoshi works him so hard." She looked at her master with eyes full of pity. "But I still can't believe that Kenji is dead. Didn't Oryou say something about how we couldn't live with demons anymore, and how they were going to bring this village to destruction if we continued that way?"

"That's what my parents told me, anyways," Rika spoke, watching as two demons argued over who would get the last scrap of meat. "I don't really know what got into her, but it's not something she regrets doing. She fully supports her actions, even to this day. Though I have to say, I feel bad for all the demons she had. The Sonozakis had around thirty or so."

"Imagine if you were to kill all of us, Rika," Kaede spoke as she looked over to the cage in front of her. "You would be able to do it without effort. The demons here cannot argue against you, they cannot _fight_ against you. Even I wouldn't be able to fight if you were to say you were going to kill me. I'd have to accept my fate."

` "I wouldn't do that," Rika answered instantly. "Though I do think that we have a few demons that we could do without," she spoke, gazing down the hallway at the demon who had yelled at her a few minutes ago. "Maybe Oryou's right. Maybe this whole demon thing will get out of control, one day."

The orange-haired demon nodded. "That wouldn't be surprising. In fact, I think it's more surprising that no one has attempted to do so already. Kimiyoshi especially, what, with all the demons he has."

"How many does he have again? Forty? Fifty?" Rika asked.

Kaede shrugged. "Something like that."

"Well, I don't think we should think about such a thing happening. Oryou's actions were a little extreme. Who knows if she's right, but I'm not going to follow her example until things get worse," Rika spoke, running a finger down the bars of the cell Kaede was contained in. "My main concern right now is Maebara Keiichi."

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "Maebara Keiichi? Now that's a new name."

"Yes, it is indeed. A boy and his curious family transferred here a week or two ago. …We tried to hide the existence of you demons from him, but…" the girl let out a sigh. "Satoko accidently told Keiichi about Hayashi-sensei, and I think Takeru has given up on trying to hide it and is now just admitting it to him. So I think I'll do the same. But who knows where he will stand in the world of demons. He seems… a little scared."

"But that's to be expected," Kaede commented. "He entered a village filled with demons and curses and legends… of course the poor boy would be scared. I pity him. The poor thing."

Rika nodded. "Of course, but it's what action he will decide to take that's making me wonder. Will he run from the demons, or will he try to take control of one? Perhaps his very appearance means something to this village," she spoke. "After all, no one wanders into Onigafuchi for nothing. That's what my friend told me, anyway."

"Did your friend tell you anything about the boy?" the demon asked her master.

Rika shook her head. "My friend can't see the future or anything like that. She's not really as powerful as people think she is. She just told me that the appearance of the boy is fate, and that something's probably going to become of it. …But that's just her prediction. It has no more chance of being true than my prediction, or your prediction. So all we can do for now, Kaede, is to wait and see what he'll do."

"…I suppose you're right, Master Rika. Only time can truly tell…" Kaede said, gazing off into nothing.

**~~~~X~~~~**

After school that sunny day, Keiichi had decided that it was time to do a little more research on the topic of demons. Now that he knew they actually existed for sure, and now that he had actually met two, he figured it was best to do a little research on them. Sure, they weren't going to hurt him or anything like that, but if he was going to continue to see them, he needed to know a few things about the behavior of demons in Onigafuchi first.

He sighed as he remembered the smile on the demons' faces. That smile, he knew, was probably the only one that they had worn in years. He could tell just by their small tales that they were not treated very kindly, and probably hadn't experienced _any _affection in all of their lives. First off, they had been taken away from their mother _instantly _after birth, so they didn't know of the affection a mother could give a child, which was the first love a child ever felt. Second off, they didn't even know what a mother was, or that they were identical twins. Heck, they didn't even have _names_. Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight were not names. They were _numbers. _

He clenched the handles of his bicycle tightly as he thought about the horrible things that the Sonozaki family had probably done to them. What had they been doing down there all their life?

He hopped off his bicycle and chained it up. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he began to travel down the sidewalks towards the library. All the while, he thought about what he had seen down in the basement. Those two twin demons he had met weren't really that scary, now were they? They weren't ugly like he imagined, nor did they try to kill him. Sure, they were a little hostile at first, but that was because they thought that he was another servant hired to "take care" of them.

_"Thank you… for talking to us. It's really nice… to talk to you. You're a very kind person, you know that?"  
><em>Number Twenty-Seven's words echoed in his head without end, and so did his goal to make them feel happiness. Visiting the two of them again was the least that he could do for them, but the problem was _how_ he was going to. He had put the key back in Takeru's room, in the same drawer he had kept it in, so finding the key again was no problem. The problem was that getting down there had been such a risk in the first place, so it was likely that he may be caught sooner or later. What would happen, then?  
>He shook the idea out of his head. Now was not to time to be concerned about such matters. All that mattered right now was the two demons, and his goal. He had to make them happy, he had to <em>teach<em> them how to be happy.

Keiichi stepped into the library, wandering down the aisles. He wanted to find the book on demons once again; so then he could read all about them. Truly, though, what mattered was that he understood the two demons in the basement, but learning about demons in general wouldn't hurt. There were probably still some malicious demons out there, after all. There were probably demons that were not like those two, demons that didn't care about their suffering. _Like that demon that killed Hiroshi,_ Keiichi thought with a shudder.

While he was trying to find the book, however, his eyes happened to come across another book. Its color was a dark blue, and on the side of the book, the words _The Many Tales and Legends of Onigafuchi_ was engraved. Curiously, the book slipped the book out, taking it into his hands. He opened it, flipping through the pages within.

"H-Huh? What is this?"

He stopped upon coming to a page with a rather elaborate and eye-catching picture drawn onto it. There was a picture of two identical twins, swords in their hands, chasing down a bunch of terrified humans. The expressions painted on the humans' faces were that of pure horror and terror. A few humans had been caught by the twins, their lifeless, bleeding bodies left on the floor, being trampled over by the fleeing villagers.

His eyes wide, he looked down to the bottom of the page, reading the caption. _"The Hero of Onigafuchi."_

He glanced to the page next to that one, finding that it was full of text. Curiosity in his eyes, he began to read.

_The Hero of Onigafuchi: _

_When Makoto died, the demons told a story to the humans. They told them that one day, two twins from one of the three great families would be born in the village, and that they would bring doom to it. They will torture and kill each and every villager, leaving no exceptions other than themselves. However, as this occurs, there will be one who appears, one called the Hero of Onigafuchi. He shall take down the twins and lead Onigafuchi to peace, and then be honored by the village forevermore. Yet, the demons told the humans that there would still be no escape from the twins, and that there would be victims. But still, the humans of the village believe otherwise. The great Kimiyoshi Koichi himself defied the demons, saying that their legend was not completely true. He told them that the twins would be born, and that they would try to kill everyone, but the Hero would stop them in their tracks before they could lay a finger on anyone. This is now what everyone believes, as they refuse to accept the words of a demon. As such, all twins that are born from the Sonozaki Family, the Kimiyoshi Family, and the Furude family, are to be killed instantly after birth._

Keiichi slammed the book shut, an expression of rage on his face. There was no way that those two twins would bring doom to the village! They were kind, friendly, sweet, and nothing like the legend described them as. He instantly put the book away, deciding that he wouldn't believe in such a tale. Number Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight would never bring doom to the village. He couldn't even imagine those two doing anything of ill intent, despite the fact that they _were_ demons. It just didn't seem right to him.

_Well, this was a total waste of time. I didn't learn anything that was true, _Keiichi thought. He turned away from that section, moving towards the section where he had seen the book of demons before. Now, he needed to go look at things that were actually _true. _Grunting, the boy pulled out the crimson book from the shelf, gazing at the title.

Kimiyoshi Koichi himself had written the book. It was his most trustworthy source.

He flipped past the page he had been reading before. The pages before him were about the three demons given to the three great families of Onigafuchi. Their names were Kai, Kenji, and Kaede, who used to guard Makoto himself. They were the three who stood before his throne, preventing any harm to the king. However, they had apparently failed, since Koichi _had_ managed to slay Makoto. When Koichi enslaved the demons, he gave one of the three demon guards to each of the three great families. The Kimiyoshis kept Kai, while Kaede was given to the Furudes. Finally, they gave Kenji to the Sonozakis.

However, the twin demons had told him that Kenji was dead. Their grandmother, the head of the Sonozaki family, had killed him. Now, there was only Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, who didn't seem to have a high status in the world of demons. For what reason Oryou had killed the other demons, he didn't know, but something really was fishy. Another question in Keiichi's mind was why Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight had been kept alive, despite the legend everyone else believed in. He shook his head, unable to find any answers. All he could do for now was to ask the two twin demons themselves. They would know better than that old book would. With a sigh, Keiichi slid the book back, turning his whole body around and then walking away.

He kept what he had learned in mind, but he still refused to believe that Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight were said to bring doom. He didn't have a single suspicion about such a thing being true. He could just _tell _that they were innocent. Such a legend couldn't be true!

…Could it?

**~~~~X~~~~**

The basement of the Sonozaki Manor was dark, as usual, and it was mostly silent. Of course, since there wasn't anyone in there besides the two twin demons, there wasn't very much noise to make. The two twins were sitting down at the back of the basement, both of them sitting with morose expressions on their faces. They both looked completely worn out, with one of them panting.

"Sis, that was a complete failure. I don't think we're ever going to be able to bust out of here," Number Twenty-Eight spoke.

Number Twenty-Seven nodded her head. "I think that our plans for escaping will never work. Perhaps we really should just give up, sis. I don't think that there's a way anymore," she said, leaning her whole body back and letting out a large sigh. Her body crashed down onto the hard ground, though she did not feel too uncomfortable from the tough floor. She was already used to sleeping on the hard, cold floor every single day.

"Maybe one day, they'll stop treating us they way they do, and they'll start treating us like humans. You know, like giving us names, rooms, proper beds, allowing us to play… those kinds of things that humans always do," Number Twenty-Eight spoke, a hopeful look in her eye. "I would love a name. I don't like being called 'Number Twenty-Eight.' It just seems wrong to me…"

Her sister sighed. "But we've been so used to that, that I can't imagine being called anything else _other_ than a number. It would be so strange to have a human name… yet so wonderful at the same time."

"We've lived all our life in here, sis. I think it's time we start to demand things from Yasuo. Maybe when he comes down here next time, we can ask for food. And then maybe, we could ask for him to name us. I-It shouldn't be too hard, should it? Just to come up with some kind of name… or just to bring us a small scrap of meat." Twenty-Eight looked up, deep in thought. "I've forgotten what meat tastes like, sis. He promised to bring us meat for killing that Hiroshi guy, but he never did…"

Number Twenty-Seven growled. "I've learned never to trust that guy. He wouldn't feed us if we killed all of Onigafuchi. He wouldn't even give us a _scrap, _nor would he give us names. He just doesn't care, sis."

"I thought that they were supposed to take care of us, sis. I thought they were supposed to be feeding us, paying some attention to us. But I suppose that's not true, huh?" the girl spoke, touching her throat. "…I'm hungry."

A moment followed, in which not a single sound was made. The basement seemed completely devoid of life at that moment.

"But…" Number Twenty-Seven spoke, causing her sister to turn and look at her."That Maebara Keiichi guy… you know, the boy yesterday… when I talked to him, I felt something… different. It… it wasn't like my usual conversation with humans. It was nice. I enjoyed talking to him," she spoke.

"Sis?" Number Twenty-Eight said, a look of surprise in her eyes.

"I'm sure that boy… I'm sure he'll come back. And then, he'll talk to us again, and then maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to save us," the other twin spoke, picturing the young, brown-haired boy that had come to her yesterday. She pictured his kind, smiling face, and just by that, the girl knew. "He just seems like that kind of person. You know what I mean, sis?"  
>Number Twenty-Eight frowned. "Sis, I think you're jumping to conclusions again. We thought that other guy was going to save us, but he never did."<p>

However, Number Twenty-Seven just shook her head. "There's something different about this guy, sis… I can just tell… I can just tell…"  
>"Sis…" murmured the other twin.<p>

Number Twenty-Seven stood up and walked over to the bars of her cell, placing her hands on the cold steel blocking her from seeing the world. "Trust me on this one, sis. This time… I'm sure… I know what I'm talking about when I say he's going to be different from the other humans…."

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner**

**So it may seem like their trust is a little bit… high, for people who have just met, but Mion's kind of relying on Keiichi because he's the only hope she has right now. And that aside, she's been treated like crap all her life, and suddenly, this kind boy appears out of nowhere and begins to talk to her. So if you feel that way, that's what I say about the situation. **

**And this was one of the short chapters. Trust me, there are going to be a lot, a lot, a lot, **_**a**__**lot**_** of short chapters. This fanfiction isn't going to be nearly as long as Green, so please bare that in mind as you are reading chapters. That said, I'm not sure how many chapters this is going to be. Green only took me three months, so I suspect Black should take me about that amount of time plus more due to school being significantly harder this year. **

**But you know what the hardest part about writing this fanfiction is? …Writing Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight instead of Mion and Shion. I keep messing up. Argh!**

**And sorry for the boring chapter, but please review anyways. Reviews make me really happy, and they motivate me to update faster and faster, so keep up the good work, guys! For reviewing this chapter, you can get a plushie of Rika. For pointing out any typos, you can receive… uh… more of Rena's cooking. But this time, her cooking is even BETTER than before! Oho~. And if you thought this chapter was boring, and you're disappointed by the lack of action, I will tell you now that the title of the next chapter is "Execution." I'll leave it to you guys to speculate on that one.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: Kira file 2 comes out tomorrow! YEAAAH~. I'm excited, actually. I want to see more Shmion : D.**


	8. Chapter 7: Execution

**Crimso's Notes**

**Honestly, Spanish tests always scare me, because I'm not good in Spanish. Yet, today's test, which I JUST finished, I managed to complete in a matter of… fifteen minutes? Something like that. But my Spanish teacher doesn't believe me. And now he's the one being negative D:. He always tell me to think postivly, but now he's making me think negatively. Creepy. I kind of forgot I had a Spanish Test, though. Oh well. It went over well… I think. –Eyes her Spanish Teacher out of the corner of her eye- …Eheh…**

**I really don't have any notes for this chapter here, so let's move on... All notes involving spoilers shall be placed in the Crimso's Corner V2**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 7: Execution**

The man rushed through the halls of the great house he was in, careful not too make too much noise as his feet hit the wooden floor. He looked behind him to make sure that there was certainly no one there, and then returned his vision to the front and ran onwards. It was the middle of the night, so that meant everyone was asleep. A single loud footstep could wake someone up. He had to be careful, or else he'd certainly be caught…

The Kimiyoshi Manor was a big place. He didn't quite know which room the head slept in, or the one his son slept in, but the chances of him rushing past the room and just so happening to wake the head or the heir up was small, or so he believed. The man slipped through the hallways until he reached a sliding door decorated with a painting of nature. He slid it open, knowing exactly what that room was. He had been in the Kimiyoshi Manor before, and while he didn't know rooms like where the head slept, he knew the room he had just entered very well.

It was where Kimiyoshi kept his things. And in there, there had to be the key to the room containing all the fifty demons that he owned. He just needed to snatch a few up. He needed them, after all. Demons were expensive, and he didn't have enough money to pay for even one. He walked up to the wall, finding two, golden keys dangling by a string roped around a small hook. He snatched them up, putting them into his pocket. He wore a large grin on his face. Now, he would be able to snatch a demon up.

The first key was the key to the room in which Kimiyoshi kept his demons. The second key was the key to the locks on the cells. He just needed to unlock a single cell and bring the demon home with him. Then, he would force the demon to obey him. He didn't actually _know_ anything about controlling demons or demons in general aside from the fact that they served humans and existed, but he was sure he would be able to figure things out.

With the keys in his pocket, the man walked out of the room, humming a small, quite tune to himself, one that could only be heard if someone was desperately trying to hear it. He kept his hand on the shining keys in his pocket, enjoying their feel. He felt powerful having those keys in hand, the keys that led to the demons. Demons were powerful creatures, and with those keys, it would be easy to control one.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the man came across a pair of steel doors. Unlike the Sonozaki Manor, the Kimiyoshi Demon Storage was connected to the manor. He inserted the first key in the lock, unlocking the door without a problem. Hearing the click of the lock, the man pulled the great steel doors right open, hearing a creaking sound coming out from them. He looked behind him to make sure that no one had woken up, and then entered the doors. Quickly, he locked them.

Before him was a room almost completely barren of any bright color. The walls were a dull gray color, and the floor was a disgusting brown. The cells were made of gray metal, and the only thing that he could really see of color were the eyes of the demons, all staring at him with curious expressions on their faces. Some were simply enraged. Was this man a new servant, or was he just an intruder?

One of the demons began to snap at him. "I think it's a new servant!" he yowled out loud. "Let's kill him before he can gain any more power over us! I don't think it'll matter if he hasn't started his job yet."  
>The demon next to him shook her head. "No, no, no! We have to torture him before we <em>kill <em>him."

"That's what I meant!"

He ignored the demons' cries, however, and continued down the room. He needed to find the perfect demon, a demon that would surely obey anything he said. The demons in the front seemed a little too vicious for his tastes. If he needed a vicious demon, he could just order a usually peaceful demon to turn that way. He didn't need one that was naturally that bloodthirsty. He twirled the second golden key in his hands, and as the demons caught sight of it, they became tense.

One of the demons began to bash against the steel cage and yelling at him threateningly. The man shot him a look, but said nothing more. That demon was certainly not for him. The demon who sat next to that one didn't seem much better, as he was shouting a long list of curse words at the top of his voice.

"My god, Kimiyoshi makes sure he gets the worst of the demons, doesn't he? Well, I suppose it works for him. He doesn't seem to do much with them aside from the occasional murders," he commented as he gazed at a demon who was currenly trying to break through the metal with her claws, ready to slash the person who she thought was the new demon manager up. None of the people who managed demons were ever kind to demons. They couldn't be killed easily, so what was the point of feeding them?

Indeed, all the demons there were rather skinny, making the man wonder when the last time the real manager of the demons bothered to feed all fifty of them. Buying giant slabs of meat for all the demons was probably expensive. The man didn't even have enough money for a demon, so he was sure the one he would take wouldn't be fed too often, either. Meat could be rather expensive at times.

Suddenly, the man came to a halt, and he looked at the demon to the side of him. He was rather small for a demon, and he looked rather timid. His eyes went wide when he saw the man in front of him, and he scooted back. He looked like a demon that would submit to his orders. "Well, you certainly seem like a demon that would obey my commands, Number Thirty-Nine," he spoke, glancing at the collar around his neck. On the back of the collars of all the demons was a small loop, and this demon was no exception. Attached to the cell was a long chain, and the purpose of that chain was to attach it to the back of the demon so that they couldn't escape their master's hold, just like a dog on a leash.

The demon looked over to the other demon on his right. "H-Help! Number Forty, stop him!"

The demon next to the timid one, Number Forty, was staring at the man with a ferocious look in her blue eyes. "Obey your commands? Are you trying to steal us or something?" she spoke, narrowing her eyes at him. "I don't think master was planning on hiring any new servants to take care of us. We already have five managing us, and six doesn't seem likely."

The man looked surprised, but he tried to wipe that off of his face. "No, I am a new servant here. I'm just taking your friend out of his cell for a little bit. But I'm not taking _you,_ Number Forty, so don't even bother hoping for such to happen," he said to her, his tone harsh and rude.

She growled at him. "That sounds suspicious to me."

He simply laughed. "It's not suspicious at all. Kimiyoshi wanted me to bring a demon out so that they could guard his manor at night. Who knows? There's a chance that a thief will come and try to steal demons."

She opened her mouth to protest, but she was cut off as soon as another voice, a new voice, interrupted the twos' conversation.

"No, you're right, Number Forty. Kimiyoshi himself told me that he wouldn't hire anymore servants for now, since he had enough," a demon spoke, one with short, dark blue hair. His unnaturally golden eyes stared at the man. "This guy is no more than an intruder, one that wishes to steal us."

The man whipped around, staring at the demon who had just spoken with hateful eyes. "I am not! There's no way that _you_ would know that, anyways. You're just another scrawny, puny demon. Why in the world would the great Kimiyoshi tell _you_ of all people?" he growled.

The demon closed his eyes for a moment, crossing his arms against his chest. "I'll have you know that I am _not_ a puny, weak demon. No demons are puny and weak. But even if they were, that's far from what I am." He opened them again, fierce golden eyes almost piercing through the man's soul. "I used to be one of Makoto's most trusted guards, and I am now the head demon of the Kimiyoshi family."

The man blinked at him. "What?"

"The name is Kai," he spoke, pointing to his metal collar. His name was engraved on his metal collar, unlike the usual numbers written on the other's collars. "I'm Kimiyoshi's most trusted demon, and I've been that way since the end of Makoto's rule. I'm surprised that you don't know who I am. I've been to many executions in the past, and actually have led them myself. Have you not been to any, or are you just uninformed about the demons of Onigafuchi?"

The man gulped. It was true that he hadn't done any research on demon, but such probably didn't matter. "W-Whatever! It doesn't matter. You're locked up right now, you don't know my name, so there's nothing you can do! My friend is waiting outside with the car, so I can just put him in there, and I won't be caught walking a demon around Onigafuchi," he argued, though his voice with a little shaky.

Kai let out a sigh and stood straight up. He walked to the back of his cage, and he grasped onto something in the back. The man's eyes widened when he noticed the golden key that the demon now held in his hand. The demon's expression didn't change, however, and he simply walked up to the front of his cage and unlocked it.

"W-What?" the man spoke, disbelief in his voice. "That can't be true, that can't be true! You demons aren't supposed to have keys like that!"

Kai's face remained the same. "Kimiyoshi has ordered me not to use these keys for doing anything other than catching intruders like you, but I'm not allowed to use it for any other reason. Since you're an intruder, I'm allowed to use it," he explained as he stepped out of his cell, the metal door creaking behind him.

The man took a few steps back, his eyes wide. He hadn't been expecting something like _that_ to happen! He looked behind him, considering the idea of running without the demon. His friend, of course, would be disappointed that he hadn't taken a demon, but there wasn't much he could do. He whispered a quick "goodbye" under his breath before he dashed away, the keys still jingling in his pockets.

Kai ran after him without hesitating, bursting out of the doors leading to the demon storage area. The man looked behind him, finding that the demon was still on his tail. If he could get in his friend's car and drive away before anything happened, then the demon would never learn of his identity, and he would be able to escape and live on as if his attempt at stealing had never happened. However, the speed the demon was running compared to the amount of speed he was causing the distance between the two to diminish.

The man burst out of the doors of the Kimiyoshi Manor, startling his friend in the car. His eyes widened when he saw the demon coming after his friend, his hands just centimeters away from grabbing him.

Kai grasped onto the man's shoulder, pulling him towards him. With his demonic strength, he wrapped his hand around the man's wrist, preventing him from escaping. He then walked up to the car, easily tearing the door off with a single hand. The man inside looked scared beyond belief, but that didn't stop Kai from grabbing him as well.

"Come with me, you two. My master would _love_ to meet you…"

**~~~~X~~~~**

The rays of the morning sun leaked through Keiichi's windows and shined directly on his face, indicating that the morning had come and it was time for him to wake up. He peaked a blue eye open, gazing at the room before him. The house was strangely silent, and all he could really hear were the cries of the higurashi cicadas. Usually, he would hear the sounds of his parents conversing about how lovely the village was, but this time, there was nothing.

Curiously, Keiichi got up from his futon. He quickly threw his school clothing on and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. His eyes went wide when he realized that his parents weren't there. There was no breakfast cooking on the stove, meaning that there was now no time to eat before he was late for school. But more importantly, where did his parents go? His fears escalated as he remembered Hiroshi's mutilated corpse, but he told himself that such wouldn't ever happen.

The demons that killed Hiroshi were probably evil and twisted, and hopefully unlike most of the demons that lived in Onigafuchi. His parents probably weren't dead, anyways, and he was able to confirm that was a note on the refrigerator.

_"Hi, dear! Something came up with your father's work and we have to go to Tokyo. I hope you don't mind. Sorry for not warning you about it earlier, but we just got the message. There's still some instant ramen in the fridge. All you have to do is warm it up… and then… tada! Your food is done! Anyways, have fun with your friends while we're away!"_

With a sigh, he threw the note to the ground. He didn't feel like having instant ramen for breakfast, and besides, there wasn't enough time for him to boil hot water. Grumbling, he grabbed his backpack from the ground and slung it over his shoulder. He would just have to settle for eating someone else's lunch today. It didn't really matter, though, as that was what they usual did, anyways.

He walked out of the door and went down the paths of Onigafuchi. By now, he had memorized the way to get to his school and back. He didn't feel danger on those paths anymore, even if he _had_ come across Hiroshi's corpse along the way. His death may have just been a one-time thing, after all. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he tried not to think about such things and continued on his way.

Soon enough, he was at school. He walked into the building without thinking much, and then into the classroom door. However, as soon as he did so, he felt something fall from the roof and onto him very gently.

"H-Hey! What's with the net!" he cried out as he struggled to get the wires of the net off of him, flailing about.

"Ohohohohoho!" A shrill laugh echoed through the classroom, one that could only belong to Satoko. "You see now, Rika? My plan is perfect! Whenever one of _them_ comes at me, I'll just use this handy net trap!"  
>Rika frowned. "Satoko, I don't think catching a demon is as easy as trapping poor, helpless Keiichi," she spoke, rubbing the top of her friend's head. "Besides, my story about the demons was just something I made up. A demon isn't going to try to hurt us…"<p>

Satoshi frowned as he looked over to the blue-haired girl. "Have we given up on hiding it from Keiichi, or did Satoko just slip again?" he asked.

Rika sighed. "We gave up. Really, there's no point in hiding it from him. The shock of a demon's existence is great, but really, they can't do anything to us."

Satoko grinned. "I like Kaede. She's always so nice to us, right, Nii-Nii?" she said, looking up at her older brother.

However, the blonde-haired boy just looked down. "Not all demons are like Kaede, though… and Kaede used to be a rather vicious demon before the Furudes changed her…"

While the three had a conversation, Keiichi was busy grumbling about how no one was noticing that he was still trapped in a net. Still, though, the conversation they were having was interesting. He had heard the name Kaede before from Rika and Satoko, but they didn't mention that she was a demon. Sighing, he turned to look for Takeru and Rena, who also didn't seem to notice him. When he found the two of them, he noticed that Takeru was busy flirting with her again, and Rena was standing there with a blood-red blush painted on her face.

"Hey, Takeru, Rena! Would you mind getting this thing off me?" he cried out to them.

Takeru grinned as he looked at Rena. "…That's why I think you're beautiful. I just gave you all the reasons. Actually, that's a lie. I have more. Do you want to hear more, Rena?" he asked her.

"Hau…" Rena said in a light tone, but no more words came out of her mouth.

Keiichi sighed as he focused his gaze on Rika, Satoko, and Satoshi. Rika and Satoko had begun to argue for some reason, and Satoshi was standing there, sighing. From what Keiichi had picked up, they were arguing about the color of cauliflower and broccoli. How a morbid talk on demons changed to such a topic, he would never know.

"Satoshi, would you please let me out of the net?" asked Keiichi hopefully.

Satoshi nodded and walked over to him, easily removing the net from the top of the boy. "I'm sorry about that, you know all about my sister and traps…"

Keiichi nodded, brushing off his school uniform. "It's really no problem at all," he replied, staring at the two much, much younger children who were still spitting out arguments about vegetables.

Takeru spotted Keiichi, and walked over to him. He was giving him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I was busy making sure Rena knew that she was the most beautiful girl in the entire universe. That's important too, you know."

"How many times have you told her that, again?" sighed Keiichi.

"Many times, Keiichi, many times. But it's still important," Takeru replied.

Satoshi looked down. "You're really open about your feelings for her, aren't you?" he replied. "I don't think I would ever be able to do that if I met a girl I liked. I think I would just keep it to myself forever and ever… until she confesses to me instead. Y-You know, if she even likes me…"

Keiichi shrugged. "I've never been in love. I don't know what I would do."

"Well, that's understandable. There aren't very many girls in Onigafuchi our age, and I don't want you chasing after Rena, so I completely understand," he replied, glancing at the orange-haired girl out of the corner of his eye. Now, she was twirling Rika and Satoko both around in a circle, exclaiming that their arguing was cute, and that she was going to take them home with her. "Maybe you'll meet a girl your age in Okinomiya."

"Love isn't really on my mind right now, though," Keiichi replied. "I'm not nearly as flirty as you are, Takeru."

Takeru laughed. "Once again, understandable, for the reasons I've stated before. I've known Rena for a long time."

A few seconds later, Satoko and Rika came crashing into the group of boys, Rena following them closely behind. She snatched up Satoko, who was injured on the ground, and began to hug her tightly to her chest. The poor yellow-haired girl struggled to get free, kicking and flailing about.

"Help me, Rika! I don't want to be taken home!" Satoko cried out.

Rika looked up at Rena, an adorable smile on her face. "Please don't take her home, Rena," she requested kindly.

Rena instantly dropped Satoko, but the moment she did so, she snatched up Rika. "Rika's smile is sooo cute! I want to take her home with me! Hau…" she cried out, almost squeezing the life out of the poor girl.

"Satoko, now it's your turn to help me!" Rika cried.

Satoko sighed. "Rena, please, don't take her home," she asked her, her tone not sounding nearly as nice as Rika's was before. She seemed a little irritated.

Rena complied to her request, and set the poor blue-haired girl down on the ground. Rika held her head in her hands, feeling rather dizzy. "This is something I'm used to, don't worry," she told Keiichi, who was now wearing a worried look on his face as he saw the state that she was in. "Rena tries to take me home every single day… so this is normal."

Keiichi chuckled. "You really like cute things, don't you, Rena?" he commented, ruffling the girl's orange hair gently. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be able to take something cute home soon."

Takeru shot Keiichi a death glare as soon as the brown-haired boy's hand came in contact with Rena's hair, causing the boy to stop patting her head just after a few moments. He didn't like Rena, but he knew that Takeru was feeling a little… threatened, by Keiichi's actions.

The green-haired boy cheered up a little as soon as Keiichi's hand pulled away. "Now, Rena, if you like cute things, have you ever tried to take yourself home?" he asked, walking up to the girl with a grin on his face.

Rena looked puzzled. "Take myself home?" she repeated.

Takeru nodded. "Yeah. Take yourself home. You know, because you're clearly the cutest thing in this room. Have you ever tried?" he asked her.

The orange-haired girl blushed, looking down at her feet. "Rena… Rena doesn't know how she'd take herself home. I mean… I walk home everyday. Is that what you mean by take myself home? Because honestly, I don't see how else I could take myself home," she answered.

The green-haired boy rubbed the back of his head. "Eheh… I don't know either…" he admitted.

_For once, his flirty line completely failed. Well, it certainly got her to blush, but that aside! _Keiichi thought to himself, observing the two friends before him.

All of the children laughed out loud at his commented, excluding Satoko, who was busy trying to figure out what Takeru's comments meant. She never really seemed to pick up on those kinds of lines, anyways.

"In any case, guys, I have something important to tell you," Takeru spoke, his joyful tone suddenly turning gravely serious. Everyone in the group of friends stopped laughing and turned to look at him, equally dark looks on their faces, save for Keiichi, who was wondering what the news could possibly be. It seemed that it was clear to everyone else, who had been in the village for such a long time. "After school, around four pm, there's going to be another execution at the Furude Shrine…"

Keiichi's blue eyes seemed to turn to the size of plates. "D-Did you just say… there's going to be… an execution?" he said, his voice full of disbelief.

Takeru nodded his head. "Yes, an execution," he repeated.

Rena looked at the stunned boy to her left, giving him a look of sorrow. "You see, Keiichi-kun, every once in a while, Kimiyoshi holds an execution at the Furude Shrine. That's what the restraining board you saw was for. They're usually executing people for trying to steal demons, but they don't always kill them. S-Sometimes, they… they… ugh! But really, it's nothing special. There's no elaborate torture. They just stick a knife in them or slice them with a sword and they're done with the execution. …There's not much point to making people watch, but Kimiyoshi commands it," she explained to him, a grave look on her face.

Satoshi nodded. "He says it's because he wants to make people learn their lesson, and teach everyone not to steal demons. W-We're all required to go, but sometimes, people don't show up. Kimiyoshi usually gets to punishing them later for that, sometimes even taking their demons as payment, but it doesn't really matter if you don't own demons," he added on.

Takeru looked down at his feet. "I have to attend, otherwise they may take a few of our demons away…" he murmured. "Same with Rika."

Satoshi sighed. "It's true. Satoko and I are forced to attend, too, since we live with Rika… he'll take Rika's demons away, even if they aren't the Houjou's property," he said, a look of sorrow on his face. "I always cover Satoko's eyes, though, and Rika covers her ears. No one has ever caught us doing so before, so it's all good…"  
>Keiichi shoot Rika a look. "And Rika, you don't bother shielding your own eyes?" he asked.<p>

Rika shook her head. "I don't really mind the execution. I just think that Kimiyoshi can be cruel sometimes, even if he acts like a nice old man. He's so kind to me… but…" she shook her head, clenching her fists tightly.

The green-haired boy looked down. "…The Kimiyoshi family isn't on such good terms with us since we basically have more power than them now, even though they have more demons than us. They have around fifty, while we have a little less than that…"  
><em>Wait a moment<em>! What Takeru said just then was a complete and utter lie. They didn't have a _little_ less than fifty! The Sonozaki family only had _two_ demons, which was a much smaller number than fifty. Keiichi had to wonder what the point of him lying was, but he didn't bother asking him for obvious reasons. Perhaps he was just embarrassed about the lack of demons, or he was just hiding the fact that his grandmother had gone and killed all the demons for seemingly no reason, judging by what Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight had told him.

Rika also shot him a suspicious look, a blue eyebrow raised at him, but she said nothing.

"Keiichi, I think you need to attend. Even if you don't have demons, he'll surely notice whether or not the new kid in the village came to the execution or not. You can look away, if you want to," Takeru spoke, giving him an apologetic look. "I know that you probably don't want to, and I don't want to either, but there isn't much we can do about it…"

Keiichi clenched his fists together. Was he really going to have to see a human get killed right before his very eyes? It was gruesome and terrifying to think about such a thing happening. But still, what would happen to him if he didn't attend the execution? Bad things would happen, for sure. Takeru was right in saying that he really didn't have any options.

"Fine then… I'll attend it… the execution…"

**~~~~X~~~~**

School flew by, and soon enough, the seven friends were strolling down the dusty paths of Onigafuchi, heading to the execution at the Furude Shrine. Keiichi could see a few people in the distance also moving in the same direction, and Keiichi automatically assumed that they were also going to watch the execution. Was it really that big of a deal? It just didn't make sense to kill someone right in front of everyone, and force the entire village to watch. Even with the explanation for that that had been given to him, he still had to question the old man's logic.

He was behind the rest of the group with Rena at her side. She was looking down at her shoes as they stepped in the dust, leaving footprints behind her. She let out a sigh, looking rather upset about the whole execution.

In order to put the grim thoughts of the execution out of her mind, Keiichi decided that he'd start up a conversation with her. He looked ahead of him, finding that the others were far away enough so that they couldn't hear them if they spoke softly, and then returned his gaze to the girl at his side. "So, uh, Rena, do you… you know, like Takeru back?"

Rena looked surprised by the question for a moment, but then her shock died down, as she returned to her previous expression. "I'm extremely flattered by his comments, but really, Takeru's a good friend of mine. I know he likes me, but I don't want to see him in any other way than just a good friend," she spoke, kicking dust with her feet. "I don't want to hurt him, though. So I'm kind of forcing myself to feel the same way," she added on.

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "So you don't like Takeru like that?"

Rena nodded. "I don't. But I don't want to hurt him by telling him that, so I guess the only way to make things go without having anyone get hurt is to pretend that I like him as well," she paused for a moment. "It's n-not that I'm not embarrassed by his comments. I like it a lot when he calls me beautiful, I really do," she finished.

"But isn't that just being even more cruel? Playing with his feelings isn't a good way to make him feel any happier. Sure, he'll think it's real, but in truth, it's really just a game of pretend, isn't it? That's the cruelest thing of all," he replied.

Rena sighed. "I know that, Keiichi-kun. But there's really nothing else I can do," she murmured.

Keiichi decided to drop the conversation after that. He wasn't really sure what to say in response to that, anyways. He wasn't so keen on the subject of love, as he had never really met a girl before he moved to Onigafuchi. Sure, there were some in his school in the city, but he never bothered talking to them. Rena was the only girl in Onigafuchi his age, but Takeru already had his eye on her. Besides, she didn't seem like the kind of person Keiichi would date, anyways.

_But then again… those two demons are my age…_

He shook the thought out of his head and moved on. He had other things to be concerned about at the moment, like the upcoming execution. What would happen, there? He wondered if it was possible for him to get away with closing his eyes and covering his ears, like how Satoshi and Rika did that to Satoko, but he wasn't sure. Satoko was tiny, so it was hard to see her amongst the crowd of people. Keiichi was a lot bigger than her, so he would be easier to spot. Besides, he was just a _little_ curious as to what they were going to do…

Not only that, but something Rena had said struck Keiichi's attention. She added that they didn't always kill them, but she never finished her sentence. What would they do if they didn't kill them, then? Wound them badly, and then send them to the clinic? That didn't seem to make much sense in his mind.

He put the rest of his imagination off for the time being. He would find out the answer in a few moments.

The paths began to grow crowded, and it was much worse when they reached the Furude Shrine. Many, many people were gathered around the shrine, looking up at the old man Kimiyoshi standing in front of the restraining board, a megaphone in his right hand Next to him was a man with dark blue hair and piercing golden eyes, who was staring at the crowd with an emotionless expression on his face. Keiichi caught sight of a metal collar on his neck, reading the name _Kai._

_ So he's a demon? _Keiichi thought, gazing at the collar. It was almost exactly the same as Number Twenty Seven's collar and Number Twenty-Eight's collar. His collar didn't have any spikes on it, and instead, was engraved with many strange patterns. _He has a name, too. _Upon thinking about it a little more, he remembered the significance of that name. Kai was the name of one of the demons that guarded King Makoto's throne, and when the king was killed, Kai was given to the Kimiyoshi family as the head demon.

_So, then, is Kai going to kill the person being executed? _He wondered. _Is he going to kill him just like the way those unknown demons killed Hiroshi? _

The friends kept close together, though none of them said much to each other. Satoshi was murmuring a few words to Satoko, and so was Rika, but that was just about it. Takeru was standing there with his arms crossed, staring at Kimiyoshi with a somewhat hateful look in his eyes. It startled Keiichi, to say the least. Rena was focused on Kai, gazing at the name written on his collar.

"He really doesn't have any control of his actions, now does he?" Rena murmured to Takeru. "Poor Kai."

Takeru nodded. "Kimiyoshi overworks him. I don't think my grandmother overworked Kenji that much," he whispered back.

_Kenji, huh?_ That _had_ been the name of the head demon of the Sonozaki family, but he was long dead. Oryou had apparently killed him for some unexplained reason. Though Keiichi had to wonder, did the village know that the Sonozaki demons were all dead, save for the twins? Did they know that the head of the Sonozaki Demons, Kenji, was also dead?

His thoughts were interrupted when a voice bellowed across the land, silencing all of the villagers gathered. "Silence! My master requires your full attention right now!" Kai yelled out.

Takeru looked a little surprised. "Kai never has any emotion in his voice. He never tends to yell, either," he whispered to Rena, though Keiichi was able to hear it. All Rena did was nod.

Once all the villagers were silent, Kai took a few steps back, eyeing his master with emotionless, golden eyes. He said nothing more and moved no more, his expression not even changing once.

"Good! Now that I have everyone's attention, I would like to thank you all for gathering here to see the execution of a wretched man who thought that he could steal my demons!" Kimiyoshi yelled into the megaphone. Everyone murmured to others about how foolish it was to try to steal a demon from the great Kimiyoshi, though they were rather quiet about it. "He broke into my manor in the middle of the night around a week or two ago, and tried to steal my poor demons away! But that's not all! The man… was not alone! He and his friend plotted it out together, and his friend was going to aid him in getting the demon home!"

More whispering followed after that. They continued to comment about how foolish those two men must have been to try to steal a demon. And now, here they were, about to be killed in front of the whole village, just for trying to steal a single demon.

"And now, without further ado, I present to you, the man who tried to steal one of my very precious demons!" Kimyoshi bellowed into the megaphone.

Suddenly, a man was brought from out of the Furude Shrine, his hands tied behind his back. He had a look of shame and regret on his face, though it was pointed down at the ground so it was hard to see. Two demons were leading him out, both of them wearing metal collars with the same patterns engraved in them as Kai. They held the man down and began to tie him down with the restraints on the board.

"And, since he tried to steal my demons, I thought… perhaps it would be fitting… if we gave him punishment number two?" he spoke, causing the audience to gasp. "I know that people are usually up here for trying to kill my demons, but I haven't done number two in a while. Aside from that, his offense was minor compared to others, who have tried to steal five or six demons."  
>The two demons finished fastening the restraints, and then took a few steps back. They nodded at their master before they turned around and returned to the Furude Shrine, disappearing within it.<p>

"And it looks like we're all set to go! Kai, how about if you go up there and do what you normally do for punishment number two, hm?" he spoke, giving the blue-haired demon next to him a glance and a smile.

Kai nodded once. "As you wish," he spoke before he began to move to the restraint board. He held out his fingers, and then, suddenly, a claw grew out from each finger, replacing the fingernails that used to be there. Keiichi gasped as he saw them. Was he really going to slice him up, just like the other demons had done to Hiroshi? It made sense, but what was this number two that they were talking about?

The man's eyes were wide, also wondering what his fate would be. Kai stared at him with his still emotionless gold eyes, and then let out a small sigh. He bent down so that his claws were positioned right next to the arm of the frightened victim, placing one on the soft skin. Tears of fear were streaming down the man's face. "I beg of you, don't kill me! Don't do this for me! I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I'll sell you my house and give you all my money if you just don't kill me!"

Kai didn't listen. The single claw remained there, and he was beginning to start the execution. The man was still crying out words, but Kai ignored them. He dug the claw into his arm, causing him to yell out with pain.

Keiichi winced as he heard the poor man's yelps. Looking to his friends, he saw that Takeru simply had a dark expression on his face, Satoshi and Rika were busy covering Satoko's ears and eyes, and that Rena just looked sorrowful. None of them seemed frightened. It made Keiichi wonder how many times they had all been through this.

Kai was about to make his move. What was he going to do? Keiichi could feel hot, sticky sweat trickle down his forehead. His whole body was getting tense, and he was tempted to look away. However, no matter how hard he tried to look away, he found that he just _couldn't._

However, all the demon did was slash a cut in his arm with a single claw. Red blood trickled down the arm, though the people watching could not see it, for it was on the side that wasn't facing them. The man cried out with slight pain, though he knew it probably wasn't anything compared to what was to come next. The next thing he did, though, surprised him. Kai brought a claw to his own arm, slicing a cut on that one. He didn't even react to the pain. He brought his arm down to the man's before it could start to bleed, pressing his own wound against the man's.

And then it happened. The man screamed out in pain, his cries probably being loud enough to shatter right through glass. Satoko winced, able to hear that piercing scream through the protection of Rika's hands. The man's whole body was shaking, even though all his limbs were restrained. He continued to scream and cry in pain, tears trickling down his cheeks. He wanted to flail with the pain, to struggle, but the restraints were preventing him from moving much more than half a centimeter.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO ME? MAKE IT STOP! MAKE THE PAIN STOP! JUST KILL ME IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO!" the man yelled out before letting out another wordless scream.

A tear made its way down Satoko's face, who could barely take all the screaming. It seemed as if Rika's protection wasn't helping enough. Thinking quickly, Keiichi clapped his hands around Rika's, hoping that it would block a little more of the screams out. His hands were much bigger than Rika's, after all.

The screams were growing even louder, and by that time, Kai had already pulled away, his hands stained with red blood from the man. He wiped the man's blood off, then stepping away to observe the victim. Judging by his expression, he didn't really seem to care about how much pain he was in. In fact, he didn't really seem to care about anything around him in general.

Suddenly, the screaming ceased, and was replaced with breathing from the man. His hands were still trembling. The two demons from the Furude Shrine reappeared after that, sensing that the deed had been done, and they worked to undo the restraints. All the while, the villagers were whispering a few comments to each other, mostly about the amount of screaming the man had made.

The restraints were undone, and the man was released. Yet, he didn't stand up. His body continued to shake, and the look of horror was still painted on his face. He was breathing quite heavily, and his heart was racing like never before. Another demon emerged from the Furude Shrine, carrying something behind her back. Keiichi stood on his tiptoes to see if he could see what it was, but he really couldn't.

Kai forced the man to sit up. His eyes were wide, his hands clutching his face with realization at what they had done. It seemed like there was no change to everyone else, but on the inside, the man that had been tortured knew.

The demon that had just come from the Furude Shrine removed the object from behind her back. She held it up to the man, attaching it to his neck. It was a metal collar with the same patterns engraved into it, along with a number.

"You no longer have a name," Kimiyoshi told the man. "You are now Number Fifty-One, and you are my demon. I'll see you to your new home in a little bit, demon, but first we have to take care of your little friend there, hm?"

The two demons that had fastened the restraining board led him into the Furude Shrine, and the man didn't even bother to protest their actions. He was still too shocked to say anything.

But he wasn't the only one too shocked to say anything. Keiichi was, too. At first, he had no idea what had been going on with the man, but by Kimiyoshi's words, it became all too clear. He had turned the man into a demon. The man, once human, was now a Number Fifty-One, a demon without a name. He had just taken all his rights from him, just like that. And just like that, he had taken away his humanity.

…_Don't tell me… don't tell me they did the same thing to Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight! _It was the only answer Keiichi could come up with. The fact that he had turned into a demon reminded him of the two demons in the Sonozaki basement, who were supposed to be dead. They had a human mother, a human father human brother, a human grandmother, and much, much more. And yet, they were demons. _They had to have been… they were turned into demons! They weren't born that way!_

"Number Fifty-One, huh? He sure has a ton of demons," commented Rena to Takeru.

Takeru nodded. "It's a lot compared to the number we have…"

Satoko tried to pull Satoshi's hands from her eyes, but he simply covered them again every time she tried to do so. "It's not over just yet, Satoko. They're going to execute another one," he explained to her, though she couldn't hear it through Keiichi and Rika's hold on her ears. However, she seemed to understand after a few attempts at pulling them away, and said nothing more.

Seconds later, the demons came out of the shrine again, dragging another man along with them. He looked like he was the same age as the man from before, and he too was wearing a look of shame on his face. However, he looked a little more frustrated than ashamed. He hadn't done nearly as much as his friend did!

The two demons tied him down on the board, then taking a few steps back. They bowed as Kai walked past them, his claws still outstretched on both of his hands. He positioned them above the frightened man, showing him their length. Glancing down on the man who was to be his prey, he let out another sigh. A demon who appeared from the Furude Shrine, the same one who had attached the collar to the man's neck, handed Kai a sword, still being held tightly in it's sheath.

Kai drew the sword out of the sheath, allowing the blade to shine in the sunlight. He held it above the man, gazing into his eyes. "Don't worry. My master has ordered me to make this one quick," he told him in his usual stern tone, one that lacked any emotions.

"P-Please don't kill me," he begged. "I-I didn't do anything! I hardly did anything! My friend was the one who came up with the idea, and he was the one who snuck in! I didn't do anything!"

Kimiyoshi rolled his eyes. "Just do it already, Kai. There's no point in hesitating any longer."

Kai nodded, though the man on the board refused to stop protesting. "Please! I'll do anything, anything! You know, I have a cool house! I could try selling you my house? N-No! I won't even sell it! In fact, I'll give it away for fre-." He never got to finish that sentence. Kai brought the sword down on him, cutting through layers of flesh. The man barely managed to let out a scream before he died. The one he _did_ manage to get out sounded a little more like a chicken choking than anything else.

Keiichi shut his eyes. The scene before him was gruesome, and much too cruel. It was such a large punishment for just aiding in the assistance of a scheme to kill demons.

Sliding the sword back in the sheath, Kai gave it back to the demon and walked back to Kimiyoshi's side. The two demons from before removed the body and began to drag it off, leaving behind a trail of blood. Keiichi looked away before he could see the mutilated corpse, saving himself from what horrid image was before him. He didn't want to look at such a thing, that was for sure.

"Thank you for coming, everyone. Please enjoy the rest of your day, and remember, don't steal demons!" Kimiyoshi called out to the villagers, who were all very willing to leave.

Keiichi was one of the villagers who decided to dash off, not even saying a goodbye to his friends. They were all probably going to do the same, anyways. He wanted to throw up as he remembered the screams the man emitted as he was transforming into a demon. He never knew someone could scream _that _loud.

He wanted to run away, to escape from the village, but he knew that was impossible. He had already tried telling his parents, and besides, such a thing like execution wouldn't happen to him unless he stole a demon. He would be fine in the village. Though, the last thing he wanted to do was to go to an execution like that one ever again. Perhaps he would hide in his room while the next one took place, and hope that no one noticed his absence.

But aside from the fact that he _couldn't_ run away, he still had unfinished business to go about. He had made himself a goal, and that goal was to bring happiness the two demons who had been trapped down in the dark basement of the Sonozaki Manor all their lives, not feeling a scrap of love or affection. And now that he knew that they had been transformed into demons, he was one step closer to getting to the bottom the case. Why had they been turned into demons, rather than being killed? And why were they the only ones _not_ killed when Oryou murdered all the demons? Sure, it didn't relate directly to those two questions, but a huge part of the answers he needed was to find out their origin.

_Tomorrow, I'll tell them what I learned today. And then I'll teach them about who they really are… the lost twins of the Sonozaki family, both of which had supposedly been killed. Yes. I'll make sure they learn… and I'll make sure they understand._

That was the job he gave himself, after all.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Whoa… that was a lot of writing to do in… mostly one day. I wrote like three or four paragraphs after I finished my Spanish test, and then I continued next Spanish class, and then I went to work in study hall, and then after school a little, and then… oh well, you get the point. I wrote the last… 5,500 or something words in the last few hours, though. I don't really remember when I started working on it recently.**

**So, there's your execution, and the start of the blood. Of course, blood won't return for a little while, but there you go! And yes, the execution was a little.. fast. Normally people wait a few months, or even years, before carrying out an execution. …Onigafuchi isn't really organized like that. When he wants them dead, he wants them dead. There's nothing they can do. **

**Do review! Reviewers of this chapter can get a plushie of any demon so far, except Mion and Shion. I'm saving that for later. And yes, they're all my ocs, but whatever~. Oh, typos being pointed out gives you a fake Kimiyoshi Demon Collar. You know, the ones with the patterns on them. It's different for each family.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: The new Higurashi Kira episode was **_**awesome.**_** Okay, go ahead and judge me for thinking that, but it really was. I don't care about what people are saying about how the violence is all gone. It's just a fun arc, nothing to be taken seriously. I can't wait until subs come out. I didn't quite understand what they were saying…**

**P.S.S: I have a new avatar. I like it~. Probably won't show up until tomorrow, though.**


	9. Chapter 8: Meat

**Crimso's Notes**

**So, my dad brought home a tiny kitten today. He doesn't have a name yet. I do think that three was enough, but really, who couldn't resist helping the poor thing?**

**One: Time seems to be skipping around a little for these chapters, and it really is, so I apologize if you're getting confused. GED seemed to also have this problem.**

**P.S: I hate Spanish Projects**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 8: Meat**

It was a Sunday, and around three days had passed since Keiichi's encounter with the twins underground. He felt bad for leaving them there for so long after a visit, but first, he figured that he'd run a few errands. The boy was now walking down a path in Okinomiya, on his way to the shops. It was late morning, so Keiichi figured he'd still have some time to do a few things before he stopped by the Sonozaki Manor. Well, he'd have to call Takeru first, but that didn't really matter.

He had a backpack strapped to his back for carrying the thing that he was going to get, to make sure that no one got suspicious of him if they were to see what that thing was. He glanced behind him at it. He had dumped all his school supplies out on the floor of the room to empty it, but he'd figure he'd pick it up later. He didn't want to have a room like Takeru's, after all.

The boy stepped into a rather small shop and looked around inside of it. The shelves were covered in various food items of all sorts, and he had to wonder if there was _anything _they didn't have. Sure, it was a small store with only a few shelves here and there, but they really did have pretty much everything. There were about five other shoppers browsing the store, filling up their bags with almost anything they could get their hands on. The prices were rather cheap, too.

Keiichi stuck his hand in his pocket, fumbling around for the coins he had brought with him. He took them out and gazed at them, making sure that he had enough money, and then pushed all the coins back in his pocket. He walked right up to the counter top, gazing at what was behind the storeowner's head. There were many slabs of high-quality meat lined up on the racks behind him, and they were pretty cheap for high-quality meat. It was probably because not many people knew about this store, and the only reason why he knew was because his mom had gone there once or twice.

The storeowner was a rather buff, large man. He was sitting on his chair with his eyes closed, an irritated look on his face. "Um, excuse me," Keiichi spoke, causing the man to peak one annoyed eye open. "E-Er… could I buy some meat?"

"What kind of meat?" he asked him, his low tone sounding rather annoyed. "We have all kinds of meat here, kid. Beef, pork… meat is a rather unspecific choice."

Keiichi looked at the many kinds, wondering which kind a demon would like best to eat. Did it really matter to them? Well, it probably did, but to a starving demon that hadn't eaten in days, it wouldn't matter. "I don't really care. I just want a big slab of any kind of meat," he replied, his hand grasping onto the jingling coins in his pocket.

The man raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing more. He got up from his chair and took a random, large slab of meat, wrapping it up carefully. He then slammed it down on the counter, pushing it towards Keiichi. "Your money," he said. "…Please," he mumbled.

Keiichi grasped the coins and spilled them out onto the counter. He wasn't sure how much he had just given him, but it was sure to be enough for the meat. The man snatched the coins up greedily, stuffing them into his cash register. "Thank you for shopping at Gorou's store. Come again whenever," he grumbled, leaning back in his chair.

"Thank you," Keiichi spoke, then taking the slab of meat in his arms. He stuffed it into his empty backpack and then zipped it up. He slung it back over his back and turned away, walking right out of the door of the store. All he had needed was that slab of meat, and now that he had it, he could call up Takeru and ask to come over.

The two twin demons had told him that they hadn't been treated very well, and in fact, they had looked rather skinny when he had seen them. They probably hadn't been fed in a while, so the meat would be a nice present for them. He could probably slip it through the bars of the cage, but if he couldn't, he'd try to figure out another way. He just needed to get it to them.

He felt bad for those two demons, having being trapped there all their lives. But now, he was going to change them. He was going to make sure they felt different, and that they wouldn't be spending the rest of their lives the same way. And the meat that he was currently carrying in his backpack was just the beginning of it all…

He bicycled his way back home, reaching his house after about thirty minutes or so. He placed his backpack down and ran to the phone, quickly dialing Takeru's number, which had been written on a slip of paper next to the phone. He held it to the ear, hearing the phone ringing. "Someone, please pick up," he murmured to himself. _There's got to be someone home. There's so many servants after all…_

"Hello? You've reached the Sonozaki Residence," a woman's voice spoke from the other side of the phone.

"It's Keiichi. Is Takeru home, or is he busy?" Keiichi asked.

"Ah, Keiichi!" spoke the woman. "It's been a while since you visited. Have you been doing well? And yes, Takeru's home."

"…Wait, who is this?" Keiichi replied.

"Ah, sorry. This is Akane," she spoke.

_Ah yes, Takeru's Mom! _He froze for a moment, remembering Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight. Should she tell her that they were alive, or should he not bother? It might be a little… sudden, if she were to find out, and how would she react to the fact that they had been turned into demons? And besides, if she found out, she'd surely tell Oryou and Takeru about it. Then they'd surely know that he'd been in the basement. So, in the end, he decided that he wouldn't say anything.

"Oh yeah! Heh, sorry for not recognizing you," he said into the phone. "…How is Takeru? Is he home right now? Is he working?"

"He's not too busy right now, but he has to do some things with his grandmother in a little bit. Are you hoping to come over?" Akane asked him.

"Uh, yeah. That's kind of what I was hoping to do. But I guess it's okay if he's not there. I'll just hang around his room until he's available," Keiichi replied, leaning against the wall as he spoke. In truth, he had been hoping that Takeru was working. That way, he could sneak down and check on the two demons. That was really the whole purpose of going to the Sonozaki Manor, anyways.

"Great! Just come over whenever, we're not busy aside from Takeru doing some family matters," she replied.

Keiichi grinned. "I'll be over in a few minutes."

"I'm sure Takeru will be glad to hear that. Bye!"

Keiichi gave her a goodbye and then placed the phone down with a sigh. He was almost all set to go, but he wanted to grab a certain object first before they left. Perhaps he would bring a few things to show the demons, as they _did_ lack some basic human knowledge. It wasn't really their fault, though. Keiichi wanted to punch the person who decided to punish those twins like that. It wasn't fair to them. The person who was supposed to be taking care of them really wasn't, either.

_Yasuo… that guy should be feeding the demons and taking care of them, not neglecting them! _Keiichi thought, clenching his fists. He remembered how Yasuo didn't seem to care when Akane was talking about how the twins she had given birth to supposedly were killed _minutes_ after their first breath. That was a topic that was completely tragic, and something that someone would actually react to. Yasuo, however, decided not to do so.

_Damn that guy! Well, whatever. If he's not going to do his job, then I'm going to have to do it myself! _He thought as he walked up the stairs to his room to grab the object that he needed before he left for the Sonozaki Manor. When he found it, he stuffed it into his backpack carefully and walked back down the stairs. He then left his house, his backpack slung over his shoulder, and walked down the paths.

He could vaguely remember the route that Takeru took to get to his house, so he decided to follow it from memory. Perhaps he would get totally lost, but he could simply ask one of the villagers for help. Hiroshi had said they were nice. …But really, was that true? Everyone seemed to be nice despite the terrifying atmosphere. It wasn't like someone would kill him for asking directions if he were to need them. _But then again, someone DID murder Hiroshi with demons. …He was a nice old man, despite being rather suspicious. What was the point of doing that?_

His memory proved to be helpful, as he was soon positioned in front of the gate of the Sonozaki Manor. He contemplated how he was to get over the gate. If he were to climb over it, it would look like he was trespassing or something like that. Perhaps they would even think he was out to steal their demons. He shuddered as he remembered what had happened to those two men that tried to steal Kimiyoshi's demons. Their fate was not pretty at all. _That's right. I should tell Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight that they were turned into demons… if they don't know that already. I have a few questions about that to ask them…_

Upon touching the gate, Keiichi realized it was open. _That's strange. I guess Akane unlocked it for me, since she knew I was coming._ He opened the gate and walked in, following the paths down the garden leading to the great house, gazing at the many flowers and plants in the garden as he did so. It truly was an amazing place, and Keiichi had to wonder how much effort the servants had to put in in order to preserve the garden's fascinating beauty.

When he got into the house, he took of his shoes. Akane was standing there, looking at him. "You sure got here earlier than I expected. Takeru's still in his training, so don't expect him to be out for a while," she told him.

Keiichi nodded. "All right, that's fine with me. I'll just talk to him when he's out of his training."

He had to wonder what exactly Takeru _did_ when he was training. Keiichi knew that the training he went through was the training to become the next head of the Sonozaki family, but what exactly did that training consist of? He shuddered as he remembered the deeds the heads of the family did, like Kimiyoshi Kiichirou executing two men for trying to steal a single demon and Sonozaki Oryou supposedly killing her twin granddaughters at birth. Was Takeru going to grow up to become the same kind of person? The image of Kimiyoshi, staring down at his villagers and ordering demons to execute people and the image of Takeru just didn't mesh together well.

"What exactly does he do in training?" Keiichi asked Akane out of pure curiosity.

"He usually is taught how to use swords and that kind of thing, though my Mom also makes sure that he learns how to lead a village properly," Akane explained to him.

_Properly? What exactly do you mean by properly? _Did properly involve killing people because they tried to steal demons, or did properly involve killing innocent twins that had just been born? He knew for a fact that Takeru wouldn't ever do such a thing, but he couldn't help but be suspicions with how the rest of the Sonozaki family acted. Oryou was just sick and twisted for making her granddaughters suffer in a basement for all their life, and Yasuo didn't even bother to help them. _This is a pretty messed up family…_

Keiichi thanked Akane and went to Takeru's room, knowing which one was his by the fact that he had left his door wide open, revealing piles and piles of things scattered about the room without end. He let out a sigh as he walked in, going straight towards the drawers before. He opened the one that he had found the key in before and snatched it right up, stuffing it in his pocket. He let out a deep breath has he grasped his backpack. He was to go in an see the demons again.

He didn't feel nearly as scared as he walked out of the door and through the garden. He didn't feel as if he was walking to his doom this time. The boy now knew for a fact that the demons weren't going to hurt him. Besides, there were only two demons down there, and judging by the fact that no one had taken the key, there weren't any demons down there, either.

He reached the two metal doors and opened them, then locking it tight with the key. He walked through the darkness of the basement, now not feeling the sense of fear he had felt before when he was there. He opened the wooden doors leading to the section the demons were supposed to be kept, and then walked right in.

The sight that greeted him was the same as before. There were tons and tons of cells lining the walls, though all of them that he could see were completely empty. He walked down the rows of cells, aiming for the very, very back cell where Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight were being contained.

Soon, the cell containing the two twins was in sight. He saw the two of them on the ground, both of them napping. They were snuggled up against each other, looking rather comfortable. Keiichi gulped. He didn't want to disturb their nap, but he had food to give them. He grasped onto strap on his backpack and walked closer until he was standing right in front of the cell, gazing at the two resting demons.

He set the backpack down on the floor and crouched down so he could get a better look at them. They both looked exactly the same, and he couldn't quite see their collars, so he couldn't figure out which one was which. With a sigh, he looked at them. He couldn't help but pity them. Those poor things had been trapped in their all their life, and they didn't even have a good mattress to sleep on. The only comfort they had was each other.

"Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight?" he called to them both.

One of them began to stir in her sleep, but said nothing.

"Please wake up!" he called to them again.

The one that had begun to stir before opened her eye, gazing at the boy in front of her. When she realized it was him, she let go of her sister and sat up, her green eyes wide. "It's you! You came back!" she spoke, her tone filled with disbelief.

Keiichi glanced at her collar. "Yeah. It's good to see you again, Twenty-Eight. Would you mind waking your sister up?" he spoke, pointing to the still sleeping twin.

Number Twenty-Eight nodded and began to shake her sister gently, causing her to grumble. "Get up, sis. We have a visitor."

Number Twenty-Seven opened her eye up, expecting to see the figure of Yasuo, but her eyes both shot open when she realized it was the boy who had appeared to her before. She pulled herself up from the hard floor, dusting her already dirty kimono off. "I knew you would come back!" she cried out, excitement in her tone. "I told you he would, sis!"

Keiichi was taken aback by Number Twenty-Seven's reaction.. "Were… were you waiting for me?" he asked her.

Number Twenty-Seven nodded. "Of course!"

"Any reason why you decided to visit us again, Maebara Keiichi?" Number Twenty-Eight asked, curiosity in her tone as she observed the boy in front of her.

"Well, I thought that I'd see you again," he spoke, not really telling them the real reason for his visit. "And I have a few questions to ask you. …But I also brought you guys something."

Keiichi reached into his backpack as the two demons watched him curiously. Slowly, he grasped onto the wrapped up meat, and then tugged it out of there. The two demons looked at the wrapped piece of meat, wondering what it could be. As they sniffed the air, however, their eyes went wide. Both of them licked their lips as Keiichi tore off the paper wrapped around it, revealing a large slab of meat.

Both of the demons eyed the meat hungrily. They just couldn't take their eyes off of it. The two of them felt their stomachs rumble as they continued to gaze at their meal. When was the last time the two of them had eaten anything?

Keiichi managed to slide the slab of meat through the crack of the cell, and as soon as he did so, both demons pounced on it. They tore at it with their fangs and swallowed large pieces as fast as they could, both of them desperate to get as much meat as they could. After all, who knew when they would be fed again?

The boy's eyes went wide when he saw how crazy the two of them went over the single slab of meat. It just made him realize how terribly the two of them had been treated, and how much they had been suffering. He had had an idea of it before, but now, watching them wolf down the meat in a matter of minutes, he was able to get a better idea of how terrible the two of them had been treated all their life.

When the meat was all gone, they both lay down, smiles on their faces. "Thank you, Maebara Keiichi," Number Twenty-Seven spoke, gazing at him. "I… I don't remember the last time I ate."

Number Twenty-Eight sighed. "I think it was last month… maybe even two," she replied.

Keiichi couldn't hold back a smile. Because of his actions, he had made the twins happy for once in their lives. "You're welcome," he said, glancing at both of them. They both seemed genuinely pleased. Then, he looked at his backpack again. "Oh yeah, I forgot! I also have something else to show you…"

He reached into his backpack and pulled out the object he had brought along with him. It was a small, handheld mirror. "Take a look at yourself," he told the two of them, twisting the mirror so it could slip right through the bars. Number Twenty-Seven grasped onto the handle, pulling it away from Keiichi's grip instantly. She began to observe the object carefully, studying the back of it and the handle with curiosity. She flipped it around to the front, then catching sight of her face reflected into the mirror.

Her eyes went wide. "I-Is that me?" she cried out in disbelief. She glanced to her sister, and then at the reflection, and then back at the mirror. "That can't be! Is this really a reflection of me, or is it just of my sis?"

"Hey, let me see!" cried Number Twenty-Eight grabbed the mirror from her sister. When she spotted her reflection, she cried out in alarm. "It's a reflection of you, sis!"

Number Twenty-Seven snatched it right back, staring at it. "No, that's not true! It's a reflection of you! You see, take a look!" she replied, shoving it back in her sisters arms.

When Number Twenty-Eight took a look at the reflection, she shook her head. "Nope, sis! It's a reflection of you!"

"Give me that!" cried Number Twenty-Seven, once again snatching the mirror away to stare at her face. When she did, however, an expression of irritation grew on it. "I don't know what you're talking about, sis. It's clear to me that it's a reflection of _you _in the mirror."

"No it's not! It's you!" yelled Number Twenty-Eight.

"It's you!" argued Number Twenty-Seven.

"No, it's you!"

"No, it's not me! It's you!"

"Girls!" Keiichi cried out, breaking them from their pointless argument. They both stopped talking and stared at him. "Put your heads together and hold the mirror back just enough so that you can see both of you at the same time. Then, maybe you'll understand!"

They both looked a little confused, but they did as he said. The two of them scooted together so that their bodies were touching, and then Number Twenty-Eight held up the mirror in the middle of the two of them, pulling it back so that both of their reflections were in the mirror. When they saw the two, perfectly identical faces right next to each other, they cried out in alarm. They glanced at each other, their green eyes widened. "I look just like you!" they both yelled out at the same time.

"I told you guys that you were identical twins!" cried Keiichi.

Number Twenty-Eight crossed her arms. "What are identical twins?"  
>"I told you already, they're two people who look exactly alike and share the same mother and age! Identical twins are extremely, and I mean <em>extremely<em> rare, so you should be lucky!" he said to them both.

The two of them calmed down after that, though they kept looking at the other's face and the other's body, shocked that the truth about what they looked like hadn't really been a secret all this time. Yasuo and the other servants wouldn't _ever_ tell them what they looked like. The question of what they looked like wasn't really ever on their mind, though. Usually, the two twins simply daydreamt about being fed or escaping.

"So, with that aside," he said, reaching his hand out for one of the twins to hand him the small mirror. "Let's talk."

However, they didn't give the mirror back. They were just too intrigued with their reflection to bother. "About what?" Number Twenty-Seven said as she poked at her reflection.

"Well, about you guys. How have you been treated recently?" he asked the two of them, letting the hand reaching for the mirror fall back to his side after he realize they weren't about to give it back.

Number Twenty-Eight let out a large sigh. "Well, a little better with you around," she spoke, thinking about the meat they had just received. "But that aside, Yasuo and the other demon-keepers haven't gotten any better."

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "Do other people take care of you?"

Number Twenty-Seven nodded. "Yasuo is the one who has been assigned to take care of us, but he isn't a servant or anything like that, since he's apparently a part of the Sonozaki Family. Apparently, Sonozaki family members get treated better with that kind of stuff," she said. "Well, I guess it makes sense. But the other servants assigned to take care of us haven't been all that nice. I think most of them just don't want to be near demons. It creeps them out."

Keiichi sighed. "None of them are nice to you? None of them at all?"

"Nope. Not a single one of them," Number Twenty-Seven replied, still gazing at her reflection in the mirror. "But they have to. It's their job, and they get money for it. They say that the Sonozaki family is rich or something like that."

"They really are. Have you ever seen the garden they own?" he asked, picturing the large, extravagant garden in his head.

The two twins looked at each other. "Garden?"

"Yeah, garden. Do you not know what a garden is?" he asked them.

"Never heard of such a word before," murmured Number Twenty-Eight.

Keiichi was shocked, to say the least. First, they didn't know the meaning of the word mother, and now, they weren't sure what a garden was. How was it possible that they didn't know such words? He bit his lip, looking down at his feet. "Well, the garden is just outside those metal doors right there. Are you saying that you've never been outside the metal doors before?"

Number Twenty-Seven looked into the distance. "…Me and my sis here used to guard those two wooden doors there, you see? Two servants would hook a chain up to our collar and stand there in front of the door with us. But that's really the farthest away we've gone from our cage. The Sonozaki head never let us get a peak at what was behind those metal doors."

Now, Keiichi was dumbfounded. They hadn't been outside before…. ever? "Wait a moment, so you're saying you've never taken one step out of this basement before, not even once in your life?"

"That's right. We spend most of our time in this cell these days, though," she replied, touching the metal that was binding her to the basement. "When we were little, as I said, we had the job of guards at the front of the basement. Sometimes, the head would take us out to learn how to fight with swords and martial arts. I'm pretty good at it, I must say," Number Twenty-Seven grinned mischievously. "But that's just about it."

The first thing that ran through Keiichi's mind was how someone could possibly treat the two of them in such a horrible way, especially since the person confining them was their own grandmother. Did she even have a speck of love for these poor twin girls? They were her own granddaughters, so she had to feel _something_ towards them, right? But really, who could be so horrible as to turn their own granddaughters into demons, treat them terribly, and then keep them locked in a cell all their lives, never to learn about basic things like the outside?

"That's just too cruel," whispered Keiichi as he grasped onto the bars.

"It's all right, I guess," murmured Number Twenty-Eight, looking at the ground. "I don't know what I'm missing, so it's okay…"

"But who could possibly do such a thing!" cried Keiichi, grasping the metal bars even tighter. "Who could possibly do such a thing to you! I don't understand why someone would be sick enough to take away two little twins away from their mother right after birth and transform them into demons, and then not allow them to see the outside or have any basic human rights! It's just wrong and cruel!"  
>Number Twenty-Seven blinked at him. "Wait, what?" she replied, narrowing her eyes as she tried to understand the tale Keiichi was telling her.<p>

Keiichi saw the confusion in her eyes. "Hey, do you guys remember being human at all? Have you guys always been demons?" he asked the two of them.

"Of course not! We've been demons all our life!" cried Number Twenty-Eight. "We've never been human or anything like that!"

"That's not true!" cried Keiichi. "You two were human, too!"

Both of them froze, giving him a curious look. "What do you mean by that?" one of them asked him, her eyes widened.

Keiichi took a deep breath, gazing into the two sets of identical eyes with sorrow in his own. He truly felt terrible for the two demons in front of him. "When you two were born, you were human. You… you two were the twins of the Sonozaki family. You were the _daughters_ of the Sonozaki family, and one of you was supposed to become the head of the family. But the moment you were born, the head of the Sonozaki family, your grandmother, took you away from your mother. She didn't allow her to get a single look at you two! She just took you. And then… and then she turned you both into demons! You weren't supposed to be that way!" he explained to them, slamming a fist into the bars of the cage. The whole story just frustrated him.

"W-What?" That was all the demons could say. They couldn't fully take in the details of the story. It was just too much at once.

"Don't you understand? You were supposed to be the ones up there, not down here!" he cried out. "You're members of the Sonozaki family too!"

Number Twenty-Seven looked down. "I'm a… Sonozaki?" she spoke, staring at her collar with wide eyes. "But aren't Sonozakis supposed to be humans, and aren't they supposed to have names? I'm just the demon Number Twenty-Seven, not a Sonozaki!"

Keiichi gave her a sad smile. "You were supposed to be. Your grandmother just changed you into a demon. It's really a sad story, isn't it? I… I feel so bad for you two," he replied, looking down at his feet. He truly did feel sorry for them.

Number Twenty-Seven glanced to her sister. "Is that really true? Was I really supposed to be the heiress of the Sonozaki family?" she asked him, her tone sounding a little sorrowful.

"I-I'm not sure which one of you is older than the other, but one of you was supposed to be the heiress. …The older one of you would be the one who would be the heiress," he told them, still grasping onto the bars of the cell.

"I thought you said we were born together," Number Twenty-Eight said. "But your whole story seems a little suspicious. Is this really true, or are you just making this up?" she questioned him, her voice sounding harsh.

"Sis!" cried Number Twenty-Seven. "Does it sound like he's lying to you? I'm going to believe him!"

Number Twenty-Eight looked at his sorrow-filled face, an eyebrow raised. "You look a little funny, Maebara Keiichi. Is something wrong with you?" she asked.

"…I'm sorry, I just feel so bad for the two of you," he murmured, still looking at his shoes. It just went to show how messed up Onigafuchi really was. If the two twins had been born anywhere else, they would have been loved and treated like little angels. However, here they were, trapped in the basement of their family's house as vicious demons.

Neither of the twins said anything, they were still trying to process the story. Number Twenty-Eight didn't look too suspicious anymore, though there was a little on her face. She looked down at her feet with a sigh. She didn't really want to think that it was true. If it were true, it would just be too much for her to take, knowing what could have been.

"A-Anyways, I think I should get going," Keiichi muttered, picking up his backpack. "Keep that mirror. It's a little gift from you to me." Originally, he planned to take it back, but seeing how interested they were in it made him reconsider. It wasn't like he had much to do with that mirror, anyways. Both twins gazed at it as he mentioned the mirror. "But it was nice talking to you. Just think about what I said, okay?"

They nodded. "We will."

"Good," he replied. He was desperately trying to hold in his emotions. He wanted to spill out how sorry he was for the two of them, and how he wanted to help both of them, but he kept those emotions in. "…Next time Yasuo comes down here, don't be nice with him. Demand food and maybe he'll give it to you."

"Trust me, I've tried that one all ready," murmured one of the demons. "It doesn't work."  
>"Well try again, more harsh this time, and maybe it really will work!" he said. "In any case, it's really time for me to get leaving." In truth, he wanted to go now before he was forced to spill any emotions out. He didn't want to show the two demons. They would probably think he was weird for that or something similar. "I hope you enjoy the present I gave you, and bye!"<br>Then, he left, leaving behind the two, very confused demons.

And when he disappeared, Number Twenty-Seven looked in the mirror one more time, gazing at the face that was identical to her sister's. "Identical twins, huh," she whispered to herself. "I wouldn't have known that if he hadn't come here…" she looked up from the mirror to gaze outside her cell, hoping to catch a small glimpse of the boy before he was totally gone, though it was all ready too late.

"Sis, maybe he's really telling the truth," whispered Number Twenty-Seven. "He wasn't lying about the whole identical twin thing, anyways."  
>"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see," murmured Number Twenty-Eight as she let out a large yawn. She lay down on the uncomfortable hard ground, curling herself up.<p>

Her sister lay down next to her, wrapping her arms tightly around her for comfort. Really, they didn't have anything besides each other to comfort each other while they slept. Usually, people would sleep on futons. They had nothing of that sort. "But I think we should really think about it," she spoke as she snuggled close. "This could be the key to our escape, sis. We've been attempting it forever, after all…"

Number Twenty-Eight nodded as she closed her eyes, holding her sister close. "We'll see, sis, we'll see…"

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2:**

**I hate not updating for five days. Really, it bothers me. Actually, I think it's been six days. But honestly, with school and such, there's nothing I can do. Oh well. I have tomorrow off and Friday is Field Day, so homework doesn't need to be done until Sunday. Of course, I still have a bunch of tests pilled up on me. The days have been crazy for school. No, really, I don't think I've ever experienced something as insane as this. Well, I guess I'll have to get used to it. Moving up a grade always means more work, whether or not I want it to be.**

**But that aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really don't like it when my chapters are under 6,000 words, but honestly, when I think about it, I realize that almost all fanfictions have chapters around 1,000-3,000 words. Maybe I'm just pushing myself when it comes to chapter length. My old limit was 1,000+ words, because I HATE it when there's less than one hundred words in a chapter. I won't read a fanfiction if there's thirty-two chapters and fifteen thousand words. It should be at least thirty-two thousand words. But that aside, I think that Green-Eyed Demon caused me to push myself in terms of words. I don't know how it happened. My usually short chapters just… lengthened, when I wrote GED. Seriously, I could have split them up. Like Chapter Thirty-Four (I think it was chapter Thirty-Four… well, the chapter titled "Showdown") could have been two chapters. Do you think that I'm pushing myself with the number of words? And I mean that as in when I call a chapter with 4,000 words super short. Let me know, please.**

**As usual, please review! I really like the number of reviews I've been getting, so please keep it up! GED had about this number of reviews by the chapter that was titled "Forgotten." That chapter was when everyone started reviewing, I remember. I remember writing it, falling asleep, waking up and seeing that I had like… nine more reviews. That was a pleasant surprise. But really, please review! I'm so pleased with you guys. Reviewers can get a nice, tender piece of cooked meat, and if you're a vegetarian, you can have some of Rena's vegetarian cooking. Pointing out typos will get you dessert to go with that from Angel Mort.**

**Thank you, and see you next chapter! (Whenever that will be…)**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: Higurashi Kira episode 2 subbed was awesome. Continue to judge me, but it was awesome. Who is looking forward for some MionXKeiichi next OVA? I sure am.**


	10. Chapter 9: Fifty One Demons

**Crimso's Notes**

**Greetings, everyone! Crimso has come back from Field Day! …Actually, It's 7:36, so I came back around four hours ago. …It went over pretty well, I think. …My hair is still spray-painted red. I don't really feel like taking a shower to get it all out, though. Too bad that this year is my last field day :c. It's always awkward being the oldest. These past years, I've always looked up to the older ones to do best in the games. ...No, I'm now the only one my age in my group, since my Birthday is in September and pretty much everyone else's birthday is in the spring in my grade... for some reason...**

**There are no necessary notes for this chapter. …But on a random note, my "M" key keeps getting loose. …Not cool, man. I need that for Mion's name.**

**Random Note: The reason why this chapter is FiftyOne and not Fifty-One is the exact same reason Green-Eyed Demon is written GreenEyed Demon and not Green-Eyed Demon. FF doesn't allow hyphens in titles. I-I don't have poor grammar, I swear!**

**P.S: Anyone else find it funny that as I'm uploading this, I have fifty-one Reviews?**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 9: Fifty-One Demons**

Keiichi sighed as he buried his head into his schoolwork, almost unable to focus on it. He had too many other thoughts in his head to even bother thinking about his math homework. He was thinking about the demons underground, and what he would bring them next when he visited them. His present last time had been meat and a mirror, so he figured that he would bring something else this time. What other things were they missing in their lives? He drummed his fingers on his desk as he pondered that question, not even bothering with his math homework anymore.

When he couldn't think of an answer, Keiichi decided to leave the question for later. For now, he had to concentrate on his math; otherwise he'd have to do it for homework, which meant he had less time to spend with the twins.

"Satoko, do you want to come with me to pick some meat up after school?" Rika asked her friend.

"Hm? We just fed the demons a little while ago. Do you really think it's necessary to do so again?" Satoko wondered out loud, cupping her cheek with her hand.

Rika grinned. "I like to be nice to my demons. Kaede says I'm a little too nice sometimes, but what can I say? The demons are a little more willing, even though they don't actually have any will…."

"That made no sense, Rika," mumbled Satoko.

"It made sense in my head," sighed Rika.

"Only to you, Rika, only to you…"

Keiichi grew interested by Satoko and Rika's conversation. She seemed to be unlike the Sonozaki Family, actually bothering to feed their demons. Rika was only a little girl. If she could feed her thirty-something demons every few days, then the Sonozaki family should be able to feed _two_ demons every few days or so. Still, that seemed like too little to Keiichi. They should be fed _every day. _It just wasn't fair to them. They weren't any different than humans in terms of stomach, aside from the fact that they couldn't die of hunger, or so people were assuming. They could get hungry easily. In fact, the two twins were probably hungry again.

He stood up and walked over to the two girls, who were both a little surprised to see him come up to them in the middle of class. "Huh, Keiichi-san, is there something you want?" Satoko asked. Then, her face twisted into a smirk. "Or are you just here to admit that my traps are just a little too much for you to handle? And no, I will NOT tone them down if that's what you're asking. I think they're at a _fine_ level."

"No, that's totally wrong, Satoko," sighed Keiichi. "I was actually asking about you and your meat."

Rika's eyes filled with surprise. "You mean the fact that I feed my demons every few days?" she asked.

Keiichi nodded. "Rika… how many demons do you own, exactly?"

"Thirty-five demons," Rika answered instantly, without leaving even a single gap between Keiichi's question and her answer. "I have thirty-five demons, and I make sure they're all fed every four or five days. Usually, I give them one slab of meat per cell. There's around two or three in a cell. Is that what you were asking?"

Keiichi was shocked. She had already known all the parts to his question without him even having to ask any more than how many demons she had. "Wow, Rika. You already knew all of what I was going to ask by that one question. I'm actually really surprised."

Rika beamed. "I'm just really smart, Keiichi."

Satoko shrugged. "I don't see why she has to feed them every few days or so, though. Demons don't die without food. Kimiyoshi only feeds his demons once every month or so, anyways. Well, he feeds Kai about every two weeks or so, but the others aren't treated as well." She then looked to Rika. "…Um… Rika told me all of that…"

Rika nodded. "That's about all of what I told you, Satoko. Kimiyoshi has fifty demons." She paused for a moment. "…Well, I guess fifty-one demons now, after that man was turned into a demon for trying to steal one. It's a little expensive for him, and it is for me, too, but he has fifteen more than I do. If there's around three per stall, I think he only needs to buy five more slabs of meat." She then looked down at her paper, full with math problems. "…Actually, I don't know. I'm not good at math…"

Keiichi laughed, patting her on the head. "Well, it doesn't matter. All that matters right now is what you said about him not having to pay very much more than you do to feed your demons." He then paused for a moment. "Does the Sonozaki Family ever feed their demons?" He asked her, even though he already knew the answer to that one. It would just seem unnatural if he didn't ask.

Rika's expression suddenly grew very dark. She then stood up and gestured for him to bend down next to her, so that he was her height. When he did so, Rika walked up to him and began to whisper in his ear. "…The Sonozaki Family doesn't have any more demons, Keiichi. Oryou killed them all."

Keiichi tried to fake a look of shock. "…Do you know why she did that, Rika-chan?" he asked her.

"Oryou said something about how demons were no longer any good for the village. Oryou believes that if we continue this way anymore, we might engage in a war between demons. …So she killed all of her demons, despite Takeru's protests. She didn't even spare her head demon, Kenji," she whispered back.

Keiichi wondered if Rika knew about the twin demons in the basement, but judging by her tone, it really seemed as if she didn't know a thing about them. Perhaps the Sonozaki family kept their existence a secret so that their mother never found out that they were still alive, being treated _terribly_ all their lives.

Satoko looked curious as to what they were talking about. "What are you whispering to Keiichi-san, Rika?" she asked her.

Rika turned to Satoko, one of her signature cute smiles plastered on her face. "Don't worry, Satoko, it's just a silly secret~. Nipah~!" she told her in the cutest tone she could possibly make.

Satoko was about to mention how Rika shouldn't be keeping secrets from her best friend, but before she could do that, Rena appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Rika, hugging her tightly. "Hau! Rika is so cute! I just want to take her home with me!" she cried out, squeezing her even tighter.

Satoshi chuckled a little. "Rena, you're really funny sometimes. …But I think you should put her down…" he said, nervously eyeing Rika, who now wore a look of suffering on her face from being squeezed so hard.

Rena reluctantly dropped Rika, who fortunately managed to land on her feet. "Hau… well, next time I'll be able to take Rika-chan home, right? If I don't squeeze her very hard, will I be able to take her home?" she asked, staring into Rika's large purple eyes with hope in her own blue ones. "I think that's the only thing that's keeping me from taking you home. Hau…"

Seconds after, Takeru noticed the commotion and stood up. He wore the most handsome grin he could plaster on his face as he looked at Rena. "You know, Rena? Have you ever tried to take yourself home? Because really, you're obviously the cutest thing in this room."

Keiichi nudged him. "You already said that one," he whispered into his friend's ear.

Takeru's face fell, causing Keiichi to burst out into laughter. However, Rena just wore a dark expression on her face and looked down at her feet. _That's right, she doesn't like him back. It must be incredibly awkward for her to go through this when she simply wants to be his friend and nothing more than that. _"Hey, Rena, if you saw a little, cute girl on the street that you didn't know, would you try to take her home with you?" Keiichi asked, trying to make the dark expression on Rena's face fade away.

And when she heard that question, it certainly did fade away, as she didn't want Takeru to see such an expression on her face. "Hau… would I, would I? I don't know…" she replied.

Satoko frowned, crossing her arms. "She certainly would," she muttered to herself, remembering all the times that Rena tried to take her home. It wasn't a very pleasant experience for her. Being squeezed that tightly must hurt, Keiichi thought. It was something he was hoping not to experience.

Takeru coughed uncomfortably, his face a little red after his pick-up line failed once again. "In any case, Keiichi, would you like to come with me to the Kimiyoshi Manor after school? Yasuo wanted me to purchase a demon or two for the Sonozaki family, since he thinks that we're running low on demons. I think it would be good for you to get a look at some of the demons. I don't think you were able to get a good look at the execution," he asked him, turning to meet his forest-green eyes with Keiichi's blue ones.

Keiichi's eyes filled with curiosity. He couldn't tell Takeru that he had already met demons up close before, but seeing Kimiyoshi's demons and how things actually worked in a place that was full of them seemed interesting to him. And what was this he was saying about purchasing new demons? Of course he was running low on demons. There was only Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight down there. They were probably going to treat the new demons the same way, too, if they were to get some. "Sure, I'll go," he replied.

Takeru grinned. "Good! I think that seeing demons is a good way to get knowledge on this village. And don't worry about being attacked or anything like that. They're all locked up, so none of them will hurt you. Kimiyoshi has strict orders not to attack anyone unless they're out to steal any of them, which they obey." He looked rather happy to hear that Keiichi was going to tag along with him. Keiichi questioned why for a few moments, but he then remembered that it was usually more fun to go somewhere with a friend than by themselves. "Kimiyoshi is rather kind, too, so you don't have to worry about him being rude to you or anything like that. He's a little creepy for killing someone for trying to steal his demons, yeah, but that's just how thing work around here. His father was the one who started it, anyways."

Satoshi looked down at his feet. "It's really sad, but there's nothing we can do about the way the village is set up to be. I'm sure Takeru will do something when he has more power, though," he said, side-glancing into Takeru's eyes. "As a regular villager, I don't have a say in anything that goes on around here." Then he looked over to Rika, not having to pick his head up very much further to do so. "Rika is already doing her best. She's feeding her demons almost every day and is taking great care of them…"

Rika smiled. "I do my best."

Rena sighed. "She really does try hard. It's sad that this village is like this. I would like this village to be transformed into a fun, happy, peaceful place where everyone can smile and be happy without worrying about demons or anything morbid like that," she spoke, glancing down at her feet. "It's really sad when you think about how this village could be without all the demons. It could be a really fun place if we wanted it to be."

Takeru wore a dark expression on his face, but said nothing.

"In any case, we need to be getting back to our work," Keiichi said, eyeing Chie, who had accidently fallen asleep in the middle of class. "Who knows when she's going to wake up?"

Satoko laughed. "Ohohohohoho! Chie is fast asleep. I wonder how that happened?" She spoke, wearing a smirk on her face.

"Satoko, what in the world did you do _this_ time?" sighed Rika.

Satoko smiled. "Secrets, Rika. Apparently they can't be shared," she told her, thinking of how Rika was telling Keiichi a secret before. "And who said that _I_ did anything to her? Gee, she might have fallen asleep on her own."

And everyone laughed at that remark.

**~~~~X~~~~**

After school, Keiichi found himself following Takeru close behind as they wandered down the paths of Onigafuchi, their sights set on the Kimiyoshi Manor. Keiichi had no idea how it would look in comparison to the Sonozaki Manor, but he had a pretty good idea. He figured it would be just as big as it, if not bigger, and would probably have a similar garden. He probably had a much, much larger area for storing demons, too, as the Sonozaki Chamber was designed to hold around thirty-five to forty demons. Of course, all that was being put to waste, as there was only two, but that aside, it was rather big.

"I don't know if we're actually going to buy any more demons," Takeru said as he kicked the dirt. "My grandmother didn't like the idea _at all._ But Yasuo, as the head of the demon management in my house, thought it would be a good one. So I decided I might just take a small look."

Keiichi nodded his head as he listened to what his friend was telling him. "I'd see why your grandmother would object. I guess that spending money to feed them and manage them is expensive, isn't it?" he commented, trying to make it sound like he didn't know the truth. Oryou thought that any more demons would bring doom to the village. If they bought another demon, she would surely murder that one as well. Which made Keiichi wonder why she hadn't killed Number Twenty-Seven and Number-Twenty Eight, especially since they were known as the cursed twins that would bring doom to all of Onigafuchi. Wasn't that why she decided to keep them locked up as demons in the first place, instead of letting their mother keep them?

"Yeah. They're really a lot to manage, plus they're expensive to buy in the first place," Takeru answered as he walked along the paths, spotting the Kimiyoshi Manor in the distance. "…And if my faulty eyesight is correct, that's the Kimiyoshi Manor over there. You see?" he said, pointing to the large house in the distance.

It looked pretty big to Keiichi, so he decided to assume that Takeru was right on that one. "Ever considered glasses?"

"Glasses are lame," he replied. "Don't want to wear those things."

"Rena would want to take you home, I'm sure," Keiichi commented.

"Yeah, but she tries to take Rika and Satoko home, too. It's really no different than that," he replied as he looked up at the sky with a sigh. "Well, one day, I'm sure she'll come to like me, too. I'm sure that day isn't very far off."

_Poor Rena. All she wants is to be friends with Takeru. Doesn't he realize that this isn't what she wants? _He spoke, looking down at his feet as they crunched against the small pebbles scattered about the dirt-path beneath him. _Oh well. I don't think I'm going to tell him that. There's really no point in doing so. It'll just make Takeru feel hurt._

And soon enough, they reached the Kimiyoshi Manor. Keiichi was surprised when he discovered that the garden wasn't _nearly_ as big as the Sonozaki Manor. Heck, it didn't even come _close_ in size. However, he noted that the Kimiyoshi Manor was bigger than the Sonozaki Manor itself. He figured that a big part of it, however, was the demon storage area. Takeru opened the gate without any problem whatsoever and walked into the garden and up to the door, with Keiichi following him behind.

"He leaves the door open for people who come to buy demons from him or anything else that needs his attention. The demon storage area is locked, so it's hard for people to break in. It's just luck that that guy knew where Kimiyoshi kept his keys," he replied as he opened the door, stepping inside it.

Keiichi nodded at this and said nothing in response. He was too busy studying the Kimiyoshi Manor to really listen. The first room, the one he was standing in, was decorated with all kinds of traditional Japanese art and contained rather expensive-looking furniture. It was clear to him that the Kimiyoshi family spent more money on their house than the Sonozaki family did, though the Sonozaki Manor was still incredible.

Soon enough, Kimiyoshi Kiichirou appeared, hearing the door open. He looked rather surprised when he saw the two boys there, but he wiped that off his face as quickly as he could manage. "Ah! If it isn't Sonozaki's boy and the newcomer! It's a wonder to see you two here." He smiled at them both. "Are you perhaps going to buy some new demons, Takeru? I know your family is running low."

Takeru stiffened. "Of course. Keiichi here just wanted to look, though," he spoke, glancing over to his friend. "I figured it would be good for him."

"Ah, yes, well, I'll be happy to sell you some demons." He then looked at Keiichi. "Curious about the demons, hm? Well you don't have to worry! My demons don't bite, and if they do, I got old Kai to stop 'em! He's a real good demon. I appreciate his services to this old family."

Keiichi nodded. "He sounds like a great demon."

Kimiyoshi grinned. "That's why it's so great to have these head demons. Furude's demon, Kaede, is a really great demon too! It's been a while since I've been down to the Furude Storage, though." He then looked at Takeru. "And how are your demons doing? I believe it's been about three years since I went down there!" he laughed.

"They're fine!" he replied, laughing as well. "I'm glad you like those demons so much, Kimiyoshi, but they're unfortunately not for sale."

He frowned. "Ah, how did you know I was getting there? You know, I've been trying to get _those_ two for ages, but I guess your family doesn't wish to comply?" he sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Oh well, I guess I could settle for any other demon."

Takeru mumbled something about how he only had two very quietly, though Keiichi was able to catch it. "Still not for sale. We're running low, and that's why I'm here to buy one."

Kimiyoshi let out another one of his laughs. "Well, that's understandable! You really are running low on demons, aren't you?" he replied, a smile on his face. "You're such a good boy, you know that? Running all the way here to get some demons when your demon manager asked you to. That's what I call a good kid!" he stuck out his hand and ruffled Takeru's green hair. "Good boy!"

Keiichi grinned nervously. It seemed as if the two of them were really close. Kimiyoshi really was a nice person.

_But he's been trying to buy Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight? Does he know that they're the only ones left, or did Oryou just kill them recently? _Keiichi thought to himself as he observed Takeru and Kimiyoshi continue to chat happily with each other.

"In any case, let's go. The demons are at the back of the hall," he said. Kimiyoshi pulled a key out of his outfit and clutched it tightly, still wearing that grin on his face. It made Keiichi feel a little uneasy, much like how Hiroshi's grin had made him feel a little suspicious at first.

Kimiyoshi led the two of them down the hall, and as he did, Keiichi observed the many pieces of artwork that decorated the hallways. As he glanced at a _very_ well drawn picture of several Japanese animals gathered about in a beautiful meadow filled with flowers of all types, he had to wonder how much money he spent on each and every piece. The next piece he caught sight was of many mountains and trees, painted in a way that made Keiichi drop his draw in awe. _Incredible. Can people really draw that well? I don't think my father could ever draw like that even if he tried to..._

Soon enough, they reached the end of the hallway. Kimiyoshi stuck a key in the door and opened it, revealing a dark room. Keiichi stared into it curiously, and then took a step inside. The place was devoid of color, for the most part, making the many demons inside stand out. He was in awe the moment he caught sight of how many demons were in there. It was bustling with them, their screams and roars practically filling the air up. They all stared at him when they caught sight of him, causing him to feel a little nervous.

However, he got over that and took another step down the rows of cells. There were around three in each, two in some, and they were all staring at him. Keiichi couldn't find a single scrap of meat in any of their stalls, and when he observed the demons even closer, he realized that they were all _very_ skinny. _Damn, he really doesn't bother to feed those poor demons!_ He thought to himself as he stared at a small, skinny demon that was practically all bone. He looked like he hadn't been fed in years.

And, as Keiichi wandered in the demon storage, Takeru, meanwhile, was still outside. Just as he had been about to take a step inside, Kimiyoshi had stopped him.

"…What is it, Kimiyoshi?" he asked, confusion and curiosity in his eyes as he stared at Kimiyoshi's face.

Then, it happened. Kimiyoshi's usually kind, friendly face contorted into one of pure anger and unfriendliness, causing Takeru's eyes to widen. He looked incredibly stern, and it was scaring Takeru to death. "You, Sonozaki boy. Don't think that I don't know what your family did. You guys are fakes, worthless fakes," he spoke, his tone harsher than Takeru had ever heard before. "I know the truth, boy."

Takeru began to shake. "…W-What is the truth?" he said.

"I said, that you're just fakes. Don't think I don't have my eye on you, boy, and don't think that I don't know what Oryou did to those demons, to _Kenji._ And also, I know what you've been doing to those two. They're your damn sisters, for god's sake," he replied, fierceness in his usually shut eyes that made Takeru shudder. "I'm watching you Sonozakis closely."

Takeru gulped. "…Yes, Kimiyoshi-sama…"

And with that, the two of them walked into the storage area, and Takeru was only able to give him a quick glace, fear in his green eyes as he looked upon the old man. "I got to find Keiichi," he muttered before running off to catch his friend, wanting to do anything to be away from the man behind him. He had _never_ seen Kimiyoshi like that before, not even once.

When Takeru caught up to Keiichi, he placed a single hand on his shoulder and let out a large, fake roar. Keiichi jumped and turned around, his eyes wide with fear. Takeru laughed when he saw the stunned look on his face. "I got you, Keiichi! You really thought that I was a demon, didn't you?"

"No way! Your roar was so fake that it was painful to listen to!" argued Keiichi.

Takeru just laughed. "I know."

Keiichi was scanning each and every demon from head to toe. There were a few who gave him curious looks, not at all hostile towards the stranger in front of them and there were some of them that growled at him. "Man, these demons are really skinny. Do you know when the last time they were fed was?" he asked Takeru curiously as he stared into the eyes of a demon who was looking at Keiichi hopefully, wondering if he had brought any food with him.

Takeru shrugged. "I'm guessing about a month, or maybe just a little less than that. But really, Kimiyoshi doesn't bother."

_Neither does your family. _Keiichi didn't say that out loud, of course. He didn't even bother thinking about saying such a thing out loud. It would be just plain rude to say such a thing. "Well, Rika told me she bothers to feed her demons. I guess that just goes to show how much of a good girl she is, huh?"

Takeru nodded. "She really is a good girl, isn't she? She's friends with everyone. It's amazing to have a girl like her in this dark place," he replied as he too stared at the demon Keiichi had been looking at. "…There's not food here, I'm sorry," he told the demon, who then looked at him with disappointment and shrunk away.

"Yeah. I can't imagine how she's been able to manage herself when she has no living parents," commented Keiichi as the two of them moved on to further cells. "That must be tough for a little girl like her in a town like this. I can't imagine doing the same thing."

"She's very strong. Even I can't compared," he replied.

"You're still strong. I can't imagine being able to have a good childhood in a place like this," he spoke.

Takeru looked down. "I didn't have a good childhood, Keiichi," he muttered.

Keiichi tore his eyes away from the demons to look at his friend, who currently wore a grave expression on his face. "Hold on a moment. What did you just say, Takeru?" he asked him, his eyes full with shock.

"Nothing," was the only word Takeru spoke after that. He raised his head and smiled again, though to Keiichi, it seemed as if he was faking it. He wondered if the others were able to tell when he was faking different emotions, like when they were talking about the Sonozaki demons and he pretended that he didn't know the truth about them. "Let's just forget that I even spoke and move on."

Keiichi nodded, deciding not to dwell on the matter. "Anyways, I think it's good we can have someone like Rika-chan in here. Satoko also helps raise the spirits of this town."

"Yup! There's nothing like a good trap to give us a laugh!" he cried out, a huge smile breaking out on his face. "Unless, of course, you're the one getting trapped. It's not so fun, then."

Keiichi nodded, recalling the time when he was trapped under a net and no one seemed to want to help him. "It really isn't any fun. Ever been trapped by her?"

"Trust me, Keiichi, I've been trapped _too _many times."

Keiichi was about to reply, but something caught his eye. They had reached the end of the storage area, and the demons with the highest number were placed in the cell in the back. As he eyed the demons in the last cell, his eyes came across a man that he recognized. "…Hey, Takeru. Is that the guy that they turned into a demon at the execution?" he asked, pointing towards the man in the cell.

Takeru turned around so that his eyes were focused on the spot his friend was pointing at. "Oh, yeah, it's got to be. See over there? He has the number Fifty-One engraved onto his collar," he said, pointing at the man's neck. And indeed, placed around his neck was a big, metal collar with the number Fifty-One on it. Patterns were decorating the area around that number, just like all the other Kimiyoshi Demon's collars.

His eyes went wide. The man, once free and prosperous, was now in a cell with a collar around his neck, forced to obey whatever his master told him to do. He now had no free will, and he now had no name. There was clear sorrow in the man's eyes as he gazed down at the ground, surely thinking of his freedom. If only he hadn't tried to steal a demon. The plan to do so was a failure from the start, so him even attempting was plain crazy. Now, he had to pay the price for his foolish actions. And yet, at the same time, Keiichi couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. He had only tried to steal a single demon, after all. Now, he had all his rights stripped from him.

"…I'd hate to be a demon," Takeru said. "I'd have no free will and I'd have to obey whatever someone told me to do. It's just no fair."

Keiichi nodded in agreement. "But I guess they would be murdering us all if we weren't doing this to them. It's still sad, though."  
>"We have Koichi to thank for that. Makoto was planning to enslave humans. So instead, we enslaved them," he replied as he continued to stare at the former human. "It's incredible. Makoto was really strong. They say he killed hundreds."<p>

"That's because us Kimiyoshis are rather wonderful people, hm?" an old voice rang out, causing the two teenage males to turn around and meet the face of Kimiyoshi, who they had pretty much forgotten about. "My ancestor, Koichi, was quite the amazing person, wasn't he? If it weren't for him, we would be enslaved by demons ourselves!"

"Kimiyoshi!" cried Takeru in surprised. Keiichi noticed a little bit of fear in his eyes, but he decided that he probably imagined it. "Sorry about that! Keiichi was so intrigued by the demons that I kind of ended up losing you."

He laughed. "It's fine, it's fine. Understandable. It's completely understandable. But Takeru, did you notice any demons that you might want to purchase?" he asked him. Then, he grinned much wider. "And hey, if you sell me Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, I'll give you four demons completely free!"

Keiichi jumped at the mention of the two twin demons.

"You sound like some kind of salesman," Takeru spoke, an eyebrow raised at him. "And I've already told you that they aren't for sale. Grandmother thinks they're special."

Kimiyoshi frowned. "I do believe that the salesman effect works on people, though. And I'm serious when I say that. I'll take them both for any number you name and I'll give you… how about five demons, then?" he spoke. "Those two would be perfect for my demon collection!"

Keiichi felt his blood boil at the word "collection." It was as if the demons were trading cards or something similar.

"I already told you, they're special to my grandmother, so I can't accept that offer," he replied, his voice sounding a little irritated.

Kimiyoshi sighed. "Fine then. Did you see any of my demons that you would like?"

"Unfortunately, it looks like my grandmother would be terribly upset with me if I brought any demons home, so I'll have to decline. Thank you for the offer, though, and thank you for allowing us to visit," he said, bowing respectfully to the man in front of him.

"Is that so?" Kimiyoshi said, sounding a little disappointed. "Well, just stop by if you change your mind about that. And also, if you grandmother decides to change her mind on the subject of Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, hm?"

Takeru nodded. "Right. Keiichi, let's go. See you, Kimiyoshi."  
>The way he answered the question made Keiichi wonder if he was actually considering buying any of the demons in the first place. But really, if that were the case, then why did he bother going all the way down here after school? Keiichi followed Takeru as they exited the demon storage area, and all the while, Keiichi eyed the demons. Even if they would kill him if they weren't under control of humans, he still felt sorry for them.<p>

_But not all demons would be like that… right? _He thought to himself as he exited the Kimiyoshi Manor.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Footsteps could be heard from nearby, and as soon as they detected them, Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight froze. They both scrambled over to the other room that was connected to the back of their cell and hid there, wondering to themselves who their visitor could possibly be. It was mostly likely Yasuo, a person that they surely didn't want to see.

However, upon listening closer, they could hear some other, more shrill voice coming out from the stairs, along with the gruff voice of Yasuo. They both gasped when they heard it and turned to look at each other, their hearts sinking. They knew exactly what he was hear for when they heard that shrill voice, and it was scaring them. They hated when Yasuo did this to them. It just wasn't fair.

Soon, the voices grew closer, and then, Yasuo's voice called out clearly to them. "Oh come on. Come on out, demons," he growled at them.

Slowly, they peaked their heads out from the entrance, their eyes growing wide when they spotted him. He was wearing his usual shirt and his eyes were full with their usual stern feeling and unfriendly vibe. And there, in his arms, was a young boy, just like usual. He was crying hard, and he was shouting out pleas for him to let him go… just like usual.

"Oh shut up, brat," he growled at the boy, though the boy refused to shut up. He rolled his eyes. "You two, get over here, right now."

The twins scrambled to the front of the cage and sat down, staring at the poor boy. "You know what I'm here for, right? I believe it's been about three weeks since I brought you guys one of _these,_" he said, gazing at the struggling boy. The tears of fear were beginning to stain his sleeves, and it was bothering the man. "Oh stop crying. You can't take anything, now can you?" he sneered.

"Let me go! My mommy's gonna worry about me!" he screamed out.

"Who cares about your mommy? Your mommy could go to hell, for all I care," he snapped at the boy, which caused him to cry even harder. "Hell, these demons right here have gone without their 'mommy' for seventeen years. Their 'mommy' can do without them, too. She'll be _fine_ without you."

"Mommy? Like a mother?" Number Twenty-Seven asked.

"Who the hell told you what a mother was?" Yasuo questioned her, staring at her with harsh eyes.

Neither demon said anything.

"Whatever. It's not like you guys even _have_ a 'mommy' to take care of you or to even care about you, anyways. Besides, if she saw you, she wouldn't ever love you," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Just forget about the idea of having one. It doesn't matter. Besides, we have something we have to take of now, don't we?" he said, moving his vision doing to the still crying little boy he held in his arms.

Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight nodded.

"Now, just do the same thing you always do, hm?" he said as he shifted the boy to one arm and moved to grasp onto the key in his pocket. "Now don't struggle, or else you'll fall on your head. That wouldn't be very fun, now would it?" he ordered the boy, who seemed to be unable to cease his tears and screams. He quickly undid the lock to the two demons' cage, and when he did so, he threw the boy in roughly, allowing his body to hit the wall. He cried out with the pain of it, but neither demon reacted.

Yasuo locked the cage. "Have fun, you two," he said to them before he walked away from them.

The boy was crying hard, and the twins were busy inspecting him. He opened an eye to gaze at him, and both of them flew open as he stared at them. "Y-You look the same," he spoke to them, his voice shaky. "P-Please don't hurt me! My mommy is gonna worry! She's gonna be so worried!"

Both demons looked at each other, and the boy felt slightly relieved. "Y-You guys won't kill me, will you? You don't look like bad demons," he said. "You two are good guys… right?"

However, Number Twenty-Eight simply shook her head. "I can't disobey orders," was all she said.

And as the both demons leapt on him, their claws outstretched and their fangs barred, he let out one more cry.

"MOMMY!"

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**That was the fastest update I've given you in a LONG while. It was only… four days? Or something like that. In any case, this chapter was 6,000 words, longer than I expected it to be. I wasn't going to add the part at the end originally, but hey, why not? It's important and I couldn't find any other chapter to fit it in. And before you say anything about how cruel Mion and Shion are for killing a little boy… remember that demons like them have no free will. And yes, Yasuo is a freaking bastard towards the twins. There's going to be some explanation about demon's will in the next chapter… to some extent. Oh, and it's surely going to satisfy you MionXKeiichi fans. So look forward to that. I'll see how much I can write up tomorrow, but I have a crapload of homework, so I don't know how far I can get with that. We had off Thursday, and Friday was just... well... Field Day, so I have been procrastinating for three days. And I don't even get my math homework. Yeah, I'm much more interested in this than my math homework. **

**And this is a somewhat smaller Crimso's Corner. I don't have much to say, besides… review! Please review! I love reviews! People who review are awesome, and they get rewards. Let's see… how about a free model of the Kimiyoshi Manor for reviewing? And you get an action figure of a demon to go in that if you point out any typos. Reviews really make me happy, and they motivate me to write faster. So if you want the next chapter up soon, review!**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: Ever notice how sometimes, two or three paragraphs get scrunched together? Let me know if that happens. I don't always catch them all. It would be really helpful! I have no idea how that happens, by the way. It drives me crazy.**

**P.S.S: Random, but this chapter title reminds me of the title of chapter twenty-seven in GED.**


	11. Chapter 10: Games

**Crimso's Notes**

**So, the first episode of Fate/Zero came out yesterday… and I watched it about an hour ago. It was really great ;3;. Fate/Stay Night is my second favorite series. Really, it's really good. (Saber is awesome).**

**Note one: …I'm just going to skip the whole "Keiichi steals the key from Takeru's room again" thing because you don't want to hear about that a third time.**

**Note two: Some MionXKeiichi in this chapter.**

**Note Three: I switched this chapter and the next chapter's order around. I don't believe it affects the plot too much, as this is more development chapter, but I just thought you should know.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 10: Games**

It was a sunny afternoon after school, and Keiichi had decided that it was time to pay Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight another friendly visit. While he hadn't brought anything for them this time, he figured that having a friendly chat with them was more than enough for the time being. He was now descending down the stairs to the room, twirling the golden key in hand. He wondered to himself how they hadn't figured out that the key had gone missing for an hour or so every once in a while, but he was thankful for that. The last thing he wanted was to be caught.

He opened the wooden doors and walked down the rows of cells, staring into them. There were stains of old blood, all dried up, on the walls of some. And in some cells, there were bones. A part of him believed that the bones belonged to the demons, seeing as Oryou had killed them all, but who knew? Perhaps they were bones of humans they had been given to snack on. But then again, he had never spotted any bones in Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight's cage, making him believe that the bones indeed belonged to the demons that used to live in them.

Soon enough, he reached the very back cell, and was greeted by the sight of Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight taking a pleasant nap. The two of them were curled up against each other, their arms wrapped tightly around one another and their bodies close together. _It must be nice to have a sister like that in a life like theirs. Really, how would they be if they didn't have each other?_ He thought to himself as he observed the two demons in front of him. He smiled at the two of them. He really didn't want to disturb their sleep, but he had things to talk about… and what else did they have to do later?

But before he could, one of the demons peaked her eye open, catching sight of the boy in front of the cage. She removed her arms from her sister and stood up, walking to the front of the cage to meet the boy in front. She placed her hands on the cell bars as she gazed into his blue eyes. "…It's really nice to see you again. It's a real nice change from those stupid servants," she spoke.

Keiichi quickly glanced to her collar before saying anything. "Hello, Number Twenty-Seven. Are you going to wake your sister up?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Sis needs to rest. She couldn't sleep last night."

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "Why?

Number Twenty-Seven shook her head. "Who knows? Have you ever had a time when you were awake and you just couldn't fall asleep, no matter how hard you tried, for seemingly no reason at all?" she asked him.

Well, that made sense. Such had happened to the brown-haired boy a few times before. "So, I guess it's just going to be you and me talking today, huh? Well, I guess I'm fine with that if your sister needs to get some rest."

The green-haired girl nodded her head, grasping the bars on her cell tightly. "I think that's how it's going to be today. Have you brought us meat?"

Keiichi looked down at his shoes. "Sorry. I'll bring some meat for you guys the next time I come, which shouldn't be so long from now," he apologized. He really did feel bad about not bring any meat to the starving demons, but he didn't have time to explain to Takeru that he had to go to the store to pick up some food for his mom and then come over with the food bags still in hand and have it not sound suspicious. "It's a promise."

"I'll believe you," Number Twenty-Seven said, her hold on the cell tightening. "I'll believe in you no matter what."

"You're very trusting of me, aren't you?" he joked, chuckling a little. "But I like that about you. You're a good demon, you know that?"

"Am I really?" she asked him, curiosity in her emerald green eyes.

He gave her a grin. "You really are."

Silence followed for a few moments, as the demon in front of him seemed a little flattered and didn't know what to say in response. Finding the silence a little awkward, Keiichi focused his attention on the still sleeping twin. "Hey, Number Twenty-Seven?" he said. He shuddered a little when he spoke her "name." It wasn't truly her name. He had to feel sorry for the poor girl. "What do you demons do when you're not sleeping? It really doesn't seem like you girls have very much to do down in this basement."

Number Twenty-Seven sighed. "Yasuo comes here every once in a while to… talk, to us about various matters, but it's really not something I enjoy. Yasuo is a really cruel man. You shouldn't ever trust him," she replied. "The head of the Sonozaki family, Sonozaki Oryou, used to come down here and train us in sword fighting and martial arts, but it's really been a while. I've pretty much mastered fighting, so doing anymore training won't help all that much. It used to be a huge hobby of mine, since there wasn't much else to do."

"Have you ever fought in an actual battle?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, but I hope to one day. Then I could show off just how good I am with the sword!" A mischievous grin grew across her face. "Just one swipe, and this demon here could win! I could beat the crap out of anyone!" she cried out proudly. "They wouldn't even stand half a chance against the great Number Twenty-Seven! I'd show 'em!"

Keiichi laughed. "But I guess you don't really sword fight anymore, now do you? There's no one to fight against, and you say you haven't trained in a while," he commented.

"Unfortunately, that's about right. Yasuo doesn't allow us to use swords anymore. He really just keeps us in here and does nothing with us. It's sad, really, but there's nothing I can do about it. As a demon, I must comply to his orders," she said with a sigh.

"So, what do you do now? Do you have any other hobbies?" he asked her. Really, if that was the only thing she was allowed to do, that meant life for her must be pretty boring. He couldn't imagine spending every single day locked up in a cage, being unable to do anything at all. He certainly wouldn't want to be a demon.

"I sure do!" she cried out. "But it's a secret… so you can't tell anyone about it, all right?"

"Of course not!" he replied. He hadn't even told anyone that he knew about the demons' existence. Why would he ever tell anyone about a demon's hobbies than he wasn't even supposed to know about in the first place? Still, she seemed rather cautious about people finding out about their secret meetings, which was understandable. Who knew what her master would do to her if he found out, and who knew what he would do to _him_?

She nodded and then scrambled into the other room, causing Keiichi to grow even more curious. Was there something that she was keeping in the bathroom? A few seconds later, the demon returned, holding something in her right hand. She sat down on the ground in front of him, and showed off the small object to him.

"…Is that… a deck of cards?" he asked her, his eyes growing wide as he caught sight of what was in her hand.

The green-haired demon smiled. "It sure is! One of the servants felt bad for me, so he gave it to my sis and I as a gift. We keep it hidden over there, since our master never bothers to go back there, so that he never finds out!" Her smile then twisted into another mischievous smirk. "I'm pretty damn good at card games. My sis couldn't even beat me if she tried!" she cried out.

Keiichi chuckled. "You seem pretty proud of yourself."

"Of course!" she beamed. "I'm only the best card-game player in the whole entire world. I could beat everyone and anyone! Of course, the only person who can really play with me is my sis. That servant who gave it to me taught me all kinds of games on it, and he used to play with me when no one else was down in the basement, but he quit working down here," she sighed, gazing up at the ceiling. "He was really nice, too. My sis and I thought that he would let us go one day, but he never did."

"He just quit one day, out of the blue?" he asked her. That seemed a little strange to him. Had one of the servants perhaps caught him playing with Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight once? Well, if they had, the game deck probably would have been taken away from them, but it was still something for him to consider. Of course, he could have just gotten bored of his job and quit. That was always possible.

Number Twenty-Seven nodded. "Yeah. Too bad, he was the only servant my sis and I actually cared about. The others would just check up on us and be done with it. Sometimes they would through a slab of meat into our cage and walk away. But that guy would sit there and play card games with us. It was really fun, actually. Now I only have my sis to play with, and I always win!" she complained.

"Isn't that a good thing?" commented Keiichi.

"Of course!" Number Twenty-Seven blurted out. "I love winning! It's the best feeling in the whole entire world! …But really, she's not so competitive. I need a good rival, someone who would be able to put up a real fight and show some spirit! Card games are serious business to me. I want to find someone who feels the same way!" she cried out as she stood up, gazing off into the distance with confidence in her eyes. "And of course, I'll beat them too, but who cares! It'll be fun, wouldn't it?" she added on, turning to look at Keiichi with a grin.

"That sounds like a load of fun!" Keiichi agreed, a smile on his face appearing from the thought. When he was little, he'd play some card games by himself every once and a while, though it was rather boring. He didn't have friends to play with him, after all. The idea of having a serious card game with a serious rival was all too thrilling for the boy. He could understand exactly where the girl in front of him was coming from.

Seeing the look of thrill in the boy's eyes, Number Twenty-Seven smirked. "Ah, would you like to try beating me in a battle? I bet you couldn't if you tried!" she asked him.

Keiichi grinned. He wasn't sure if she was really that good or if she was exaggerating her skills, but a game of cards didn't sound like a bad idea to him. In fact, it sounded like a wonderful idea. "Heh, you're on!" he cried out.

She sat down on the ground again, and Keiichi did too. "We can play through the cell bars. The cards are obviously small enough to slip through. We'll keep the deck on my side, though." She then began to shuffle the deck with great speed and skill, causing Keiichi to wonder how many times she had played with cards. It took a lot of skill to shuffle like that. She made two piles of six cards and then pushed one of them over to Keiichi through the bars of her cell, and he quickly snatched them up.

The cards were rather old, and they looked worn. She had surely played when them many times.

"What game are we going to play?" he asked her.

"Well today, we're going to play the most basic of all basic games… we're going to play the card game played by people of all ages, and the card game people of all ages know how to play! …We're going to play Go Fish!" she cried out in a dramatic fashion with clear passion in her voice.

Keiichi smirked. That was an easy game. Surely it would be easy to beat her. "You're on!"

And so, the intense game of Go Fish started. Keiichi stared at his cards, reading them. He had a two, a three, a nine, a seven, a six, and a King. At this time, there wasn't anything else he could do aside from guess what cards Number Twenty-Seven had. "I'll go first," he told her. He then scanned through his cards, deciding which one he would randomly guess. "Number Twenty-Seven, do you have any threes?" he asked her.

"Go fish," she replied, still staring at her cards. Grumbling, Keiichi reached his hand through the bars of the cell and grabbed onto another card, adding it to his hand. She looked up from her deck and stared at Keiichi's cards. "Do you have any sevens?" she asked him.

He sighed as he handed her the seven card.

The demon smirked. "Looks like you're already losing this one, Maebara Keiichi!" she laughed. "It looks like this demon here has this match in the bag!"

"Heh, let's see if that holds true!" cried Keiichi as he looked at his cards, deciding on his next move. The card he had picked up was an eight. "Let's try this one. Do you have any eights?" he asked her.

The demon looked surprised. "Wow, you actually got one! Usually no one can guess what I have," she commented as she scooted her eight card through the cell bars. "Well, I guess this is just the start of things, hm? Maybe this demon here spoke too soon…"

Keiichi grinned. "You sure did!" he cried out as he snatched up the eight card, slapping it down in the pile.

"Not for long! Do you have any twos?" she asked him

Keiichi cursed under his breath as he handed her the two card, which she accepted happily and smiled at. "I don't know, Maebara Keiichi. I already have three cards left! Do you think you can beat this demon?" she asked him, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Sure I can! Do you have any sixes?" he asked.

"Go fish!" she cried out.

He grumbled something as he drew a card from the pile, only to find that he happened to draw a six. "Yeah!" he yelled out as he placed the two six cards down. "And now I have three."

Number Twenty-Seven narrowed her eyes. "That was just luck."

"But it's all a part of playing, isn't it?" he laughed.

"Heh… you're totally right!"

Number Twenty-Seven began to inspect her opponent's cards closely. Keiichi raised an eyebrow as he saw her do this. Was there something interesting about her cards? "Do you have any nines?" she asked, glancing towards the card in the middle.

Keiichi looked down and saw that the card she had been staring at was indeed a nine. He handed it to her with his eyes narrowed his suspicion. "Hey, did you just guess what that card was, or did you read through the card or something? Do demons have the power to read cards?" he asked, curious.

She smirked. "I don't have powers… but ahaha! You're completely right!"

"W-What!" he cried out. He then turned the cards upside-down so that the back was facing him, though the number not facing his opponent. There were a ton of marks and scratches on the back of his cards, and there was a tear in one of them. Looking over at Number Twenty-Seven's cards, he found that some of them also had tears in them and they were smudged and scratched. "Hell no! Don't tell me you can read the cards by the scratches and tears on the back!"

Number Twenty-Seven didn't wipe the smirk off of her face.

"T-That's cheating!" he yelled.

"Nope! Maebara Keiichi, I like to call it strategy!" she laughed. "It's my tactic to win! Who in the world said that looking at the back of your opponent's cards was against the rules? It's totally fair!"

"It's fair when the back of the cards are completely clear! Here, it's just cheating!" he protested.

Number Twenty-Seven waggled her finger. "If you're going to play with this demon here, you're going to need to follow her rules, and nowhere in my rules does it say that I can't look at the back of someone's cards. Now, if I were to look at the front of your cards, that would be a whole different story! Doing _that_ is against the rules!"

Even though Keiichi was annoyed at her tactics, he couldn't help but smile at them. She was really fun to play with, even if she cheated. Her attitude towards the game really made it enjoyable. "Well I'll just have to play with you again sometime, Number Twenty-Seven! And when I do, I'll be sure to memorize each and every card and I'll take you down fairly!"

"You're on then, Maebara Keiichi!" she cried out.

"Ahaha, there's no reason to call me Maebara Keiichi," he said to her, a small smile on his face. "Just call me Keiichi, alright? It sounds better."

She grinned again. "Heh, fine then! But I won't call you Keiichi."

"What?" he replied, his eyes blinking with confusion.

She pointed her finger at him, a smirk on her face. "I'm going to call you Kei-chan instead! Keiichi is just too boring for me! Therefore, from now on, to Number Twenty-Seven, you'll be Kei-chan! Ahaha!"

Keiichi wondered why she had given him such a strange nickname, but it was her way of having fun, he supposed. Besides, it sounded better than Maebara Keiichi. That just seemed way too formal to him. "It's too bad that I can't come up with a nickname for you! How about if I call you the Master of Cards? …Ahaha… that's more of a title, though."

"That can be my title. I can just be Number Twenty-Seven for now," she replied.

Keiichi smiled at her. She really acted differently when it came to something like cards, didn't she? Usually, she would talk to him about the horrible things her master would do to her, like not feeding her or locking her up in her cell and not allowing her to see the outside world even once. When she spoke about such things, her voice sounded rather dark and sorrowful. But now, here, her voice was full of joy. It was a really big change. Not that he disliked it or anything. He really did enjoy this side of her. "Ahaha… you know, you really act differently when it comes to cards! You see, you usually have this strangely dark tone, but now, you sound really happy! In fact, I don't think I've seen you this happy ever! Ahaha!"

Just as soon as he mentioned her being happy, Number Twenty-Seven's face fell. She wore a gravely serious look on her face as she stared at him, almost as if she had forgotten about the joy she felt when she was playing with him. It startled Keiichi quite a bit, and he dropped his happy attitude. He felt a chill run through his body. Had he said something wrong? "Huh, Number Twenty-Seven? What is it?"

She looked down at the ground. "…Happy…" she murmured.

"Huh? Yeah, happy. Is there something funny about that word or something?" he asked her, confusion filling his eyes despite his attempt to make himself sound more cheerful.

"…Is that something that Yasuo calls a 'human emotion?'" she asked him.

He froze. "…Human emotion?"

She nodded. "…I've heard of 'happy' before once or twice from the servants or Yasuo himself, but I don't quite understand what it means to humans." She paused for a moment. "…Such emotions you humans speak of, like happiness, sadness, or this 'love' you speak of so fondly… is something I can't feel."

"W-What are you trying to say?" he spoke, his tone cracking with confusion. His eyes were wide. He just couldn't quite understand what she was trying to tell him. "Ahaha… you were smiling at me before, weren't you? You were laughing with me and having fun. You were happy, weren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," was the only response Keiichi got.

His face instantly fell. What in the world was _she _talking about? She had been having fun with him before, laughing with him, playing with him, and here she was claiming that she wasn't happy. She clearly was. The smiles that she shot him were enough for him to know that she was really feeling the emotion called happiness. Then why was she claiming that she didn't understand? Did she really not have emotions?

No. There was no way that could be true with how she was acting before. She clearly did, and yet, here she was, claiming that she didn't. Was this just another thing that they told demons to prevent them from having basic human rights? Happiness was something that everyone could feel. Were they trying to make it so that they couldn't feel it, so that they couldn't enjoy their lives?

_But if they can't be sad… they can't feel bad about anyone they murder… _

"Haha… Anyways, let's forget I even mentioned anything. I-I don't know if I want to play Go Fish anymore, so let's just say that you won, all right? I'll accept defeat at your hands," he spoke, though his voice was slightly shaky and his expression was still uneasy from their previous conversation.

She grinned, starling Keiichi. It was just more proof that she really did feel happiness. "Heh, that's a good boy! You know when to surrender, don't you?" she said to him. "Victory belongs to me… once again!"

"Hehe, yeah, you won again," he replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"No surprise there, though. I wasn't expecting you to beat me, but hey, you put up a pretty good match there," she said. She began to collect the cards and place them back in the pile, and then into the box. "I would like it if you came down to play a game with me again, Kei-chan."

"I sure will!" he cried out. "And this time, I'm surely going to beat you, Number Twenty-Seven!"

They both laughed.

And as Keiichi watched her, he thought over what she had said. Did demons really not have emotions? He thought back to the execution, where he had seen a few demons. That Kai demon he had seen really didn't seem to have any, when he thought hard about it. His piercing golden eyes didn't contain any emotions. However, the girl in front of him was really a lot different from that demon. She was smiling, laughing, and having fun. She was feeling terrible about the way she was being treated, something that she wouldn't be able to feel if she didn't have emotions. That must have been why Kai didn't object to Kimiyoshi overworking him, like Takeru mentioned before.

_This girl… she surely has emotions._ He thought hard as he looked at her, causing her to smile once again. _…That'll just have to be added to my list of goals, then. I'll teach her to recognize them… to help free her further…_

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner**

**11:58:56. I JUST managed to finish this chapter today. Awesomeness! So, I'm hoping you understand what I'm saying when Mion claims she can't feel emotions and when Keiichi says that she can, she just doesn't think she does. It's not that I'm doing a lame job of creating an emotionless character. Just think about what Keiichi is saying, hm? …And there's the bump in between Keiichi and Mion's relationship, a very large bump that'll take some effort to climb over to make romance happen. Romance is never easy in ANY of my fanfictions, as you will learn. As much as I love MionXKeiichi… it's never easy for them in any of my fanfictions. …Just look at GED.**

**Gosh, when I set a goal for myself, like when I tell myself to finish this chapter in one day, it really does work out. …I didn't do my math homework, though. I don't understand it. Yeah, I'm going to fail soon enough. Damn. I need to get a B+ to pass this year, too. Not going to happen, it seems. So I hope you enjoy my chapter, which I sacrificed my math grade to do even further than I already have.**

**Review! Review! Review! Reviewers can get a deck of cards with scratch marks, so you can be like Mion and trick your opponents! Pointing out typos will get you any kind of food you want. ...Also, look out for when paragraphs are scrunched together.**

**~Crimso**


	12. Chapter 11: Older Brother

**Crimso's Notes:**

**Yes, it's been too long. Yes, I know this. Yes, I have been incredibly busy with school. In fact, this week, I had three tests… two of which I haven't gotten back yet and one of which I did worse than I hoped to. And yes, I do plan to continue on this fanfic, except this time, slowly. Have any of you guys been with GED, following the updates when it was still in-progress? I know a lot of you have. You may remember that at the end, I was uploading chapters like crazy. The chapters after the Watnagashi festival to the day after the Watanagashi (Twenty-Seven to Thirty-Four, I believe) were uploaded in a matter of… what? Two weeks? I did rush myself with GED. That's what I'm attempting to avoid with BFB. I have so many things I wish I could have included in GED to the point that I'm planning on rewriting it all together after WAN. We'll see, though. I have too much inspiration for that.**

**Thank god for long weekends, by the way. My goal is two chapters before Tuesday. We'll see how long that lasts for… and if I can even pull it off.**

**One: Once again, time is skipping about. **

**Two: **_**IT IS THE BEGINNING OF JUNE RIGHT NOW IN THIS FANFIC. **_**THIS is important. Why? Because you are probably lost at this point. For the sake of this fanfiction, Keiichi came around the middle of May.**

**Three: Updates on weekdays may be _INCREDIBLY _rare, unfortunately. **

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 11: Older Brother**

It was just like any other morning. Keiichi was seated in his chair near his desk, chatting a little bit with his friends. School hadn't started yet, but judging by the time, it seemed as if Chie could walk in at any moment. It wasn't like her to be late very often. He let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair, observing his friends chattered about various subjects, some of them seemingly having no relevance in their lives. Satoko and Rika were talking about the color of vegetables again, while Takeru, Rena, and Satoshi were discussing what they had for dinner the night before.

"Cauliflower or Broccoli… which is green?" Rika asked her friend.

"Cauliflower…! No wait… broccoli… or was it actually cauliflower?" answered Satoko, at first sounding completely confident on her answer.

Rika pat her on the head. "It's okay, Satoko. You'll learn someday…"

Keiichi had to wonder why the color of cauliflower and broccoli was such a heavy debate for the two girls, especially Satoko. It seemed to him that she just didn't seem to know the answer. _Hm, perhaps she's colorblind? That would make a lot of sense. Though I suppose it's a little rare for a girl to be colorblind… I heard that guys are more likely to be colorblind than girls. …Though Rika, that's kind of rude to be teasing Satoko about being colorblind… even if you pat her on the head…_

"Rika can really cook some good meat," Satoshi was saying to Takeru and Rena, ignoring his little sister's conversation. "You should come over and try it some time. Satoko's really good, too. Of course, I'm still trying to learn…"

Takeru laughed out loud. "My grandmother taught me a little bit, but I wasn't too into the idea of cooking. She said that it would probably be more fun with a granddaughter, anyways." He suddenly stiffened up, his expression growing incredibly grave for a few seconds. "…Which I suppose is understandable! Not like I care all that much, anyways. I much prefer the food the servants make for us. We only hire the best, after all."  
>"Hau… it must be easy for Takeru to get food. I always have to make my own," Rena commented, looking down at the ground.<p>

"I should really be cooking more and not putting the job of feeding all three of us on Satoko and Rika, but what can I say?" Satoshi sighed. "Satoko wants to be responsible for it. She wants to show me that she can be strong without my help."

Keiichi was growing a little curious, so he got up and walked over to the three other teenagers, who all turned around to look at him when they noticed his arrival. Something about what Satoshi had been saying to the others just seemed to be a little strange to him, and since he was his friend, why not confirm his suspicions? "Satoshi, you were saying something about feeding Satoko and Rika. …Do your parents not like cooking or something like that? Because leaving the task to little children seems a little strange. …And does Rika live with you, by any chance?"

All three teenagers wore uncomfortable looks on their faces, and Takeru and Rena simply looked over to Satoshi, silently telling him to do all the explaining. "Ah, it's not that my parents dislike cooking… it's that… ahaha, they're dead," he replied.

"Dead? Your parents are dead?" cried Keiichi in alarm, his eyes widening. How did he not know about this before?

Satoshi nodded slowly, a grim expression on his face. "They died a few years back, on the day of the local festival. I'm not sure what happened, but they were vacationing with Satoko… and they apparently fell over the rail while standing on a cliff's edge and into the stream below." His feet shuffled nervously. "I wasn't there, so I don't really know. But we've been living alone ever since, and when Rika's parents died a year later, we moved in with her in the little building in the forest…"

"And no guardians came or anything like that?" Keiichi asked him.

"My uncle and aunt were going to come… but they decided not to. They said something about how they didn't want to bother with a village like Onigafuchi and left us alone. …No one ever seemed to notice that they didn't come, though, as no one told anyone," he replied. "But I think things are better that way. I've heard stories about my uncle and aunt from my step-dad. They don't seem like the kind of people I'd like to be around."

Keiichi just nodded his head in understanding. He could get why his uncle would refuse to come to a place like Onigafuchi, as he too had been very disapproving of the idea of moving to a little rural village that was supposedly infested by demons (which, as Keiichi found out, it really was). Still, he had to wonder how Satoshi, Satoko, and Rika managed living on their own. He couldn't imagine having to live by himself in a rural village with demons like this one. It was just be too frightening, even if he _did_ know two good demons…

"Well, I guess things really are better like that, even though it's tough for you," Keiichi commented, attempting to break the silence that had momentarily filled the room.

"I can't imagine what a guy like him would do to Satoko," replied Satoshi.

Just as he said that, both Rika and Satoko ran into the group of teenagers, smiles on their faces. It seemed as if Rika had challenged Satoko to a race in the middle of the classroom just for the fun of doing so, though Satoko instantly froze when she heard the conversation at hand. "Huh, why are we talking about me?" she asked, her race with Rika instantly forgotten.

Satoshi patted her on the head. "Don't worry, Satoko…"

Rika didn't see that Satoko had stopped until a little too late, and ended up crashing into the wall when she turned her head around to check on her. She fell over onto the ground, her vision spiraling. "Mii, that hurt. Satoko, please tell me when you decide to stop."

"Rika-chan!" cried Rena as she ran over to the blue-haired Furude on the floor. "Are you all right?" she asked her. "Let me take a look." The orange-haired girl turned Rika's head and began to pull her blue hair apart so she could take a look at her scalp. "…. I don't see any bruises, so I think it'll be okay!"

Rika smiled. "Thank you, Rena."

As Keiichi observed this scene, he couldn't help but realize how close the friends really were. Rena was checking Rika for an injury as minor as a head bump, which while hurt quite a bit, didn't cause too much damage. Perhaps this was why Rika, Satoko, and Satoshi could go about the village without their parents. Their friends were there to help them. _It makes sense now. Rika and the others are strong because of their friends. …It's really amazing how Rika can manage all the things the Furude Family need to do. Do her friends help her out with the demons?_

He was about to ask her that question, but he was interrupted when Chie walked into the room, causing Keiichi to wonder why she was late. He scurried to his seat and sat down as quickly as he could, his friends following him. She sat down in her seat, shuffling through a few papers that were placed on the desk.

"I'm surprised there's no trap today, Satoko-chan. Usually, you and your friends are scurrying to get place cleaned up," whispered a young boy in Satoko's ear.

"I just didn't feel like it today," Satoko whispered back.

Chie flipped through a packet of papers until she got to the one she was looking for, and then she began to scan down it. "Before anything else today, I want to take attendance," Chie spoke. "If you guys could possibly wait for a little bit…"

People murmured amongst each other, but a hand held up flat by their teacher silenced them.

Chie nodded. "All right. If you hear your name, please say 'here' or anything similar to that," she replied, looking at the class lists and then at the number of desks. "Sonozaki-san?"

"Here," Takeru replied.

"Ryuuguu-san?" Chie called out

"Here!" Rena piped up.

She nodded and crossed Rena's name off of the list. "How about Houjou Satoshi-san?"

"I'm here," Satoshi answered.

She scratched his name off of the list as well. "Maebara-san?"

Keiichi yelled out a "here," when his name was spoken. Looking around the classroom at the extra desks that were decorating the room, he could have sworn that there were more empty desks. He shook that thought off, though. That was probably wrong. He had never really bothered to count the number of desks, for that matter.

"Houjou Satoko-san?" Chie cried out after she checked Keiichi off.

"I'm here!" Satoko cried out in her shrill voice.

Chie scratched her off the list. "Satou-san?"

A little boy raised his hand and cried out a "here."

"Sasaki-san?" Chie called out.

And she went down the list, and as she did, Keiichi allowed himself to space out a little. He thought to himself about how things had been going for him in the village so far. It wasn't as bad as he expected. After all, he had already met seven new friends. Those seven being Takeru, Rena, Satoko, Satoshi, Rika, and of course Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, even though they were demons. Those two twins weren't nearly as bad as people said demons were. He could hardly imagine them killing anyone. It just didn't fit.

"…Kimura-san?" the teacher yelled out.

Silence.

"…Kimura-san?"

Still, no one spoke a word.

Chie let out a sigh. "Kimura-san, are you here?" When no one responded yet again, she scanned the many empty desks. "…Okay, have any of you seen Kimura-san at all today?" And once again, when, there were no answers, Chie sighed. "Okay, how about you, Sasaki-san? Aren't you Kimura-san's best friend? Do you know if he's sick or if he's out of town or anything similar to that?"

The boy Chie had been speaking to shook his head. "Yoshio was fine the other day. H-He didn't tell me about leaving or anything like that, so I think he should be in school…"

Chie slapped her attendance list down on the desk. "I'll be back," she told the class before walking out the door, a single book tucked under her arm. As soon as she left the classroom, a series of loud murmuring took place. Keiichi looked about, seeing grim expressions plastered on many of his friends' faces and worried ones on the ones belonging to some of the little children, but with the exception of him and about one or two others, everyone else was speculating about what could have happened to the boy out loud.

"…It can't be this again," murmured Rena to Takeru. "I thought that this stopped three weeks ago!"

Takeru said nothing. He was busy staring at his desk.

Keiichi began to wonder to himself. Was it really that the boy was just sick, or was it something else? It was possible that his friend just didn't know that he had fallen ill. He could have just gotten randomly sick last night and had decided not to show up for school or something similar to that. He drummed his fingers on his desk as he tried to come up with explanations, but none were crossing his minds.

About five minutes later, Chie walked into class, wearing a strangely grave expression on her face. The moment she set foot into the room was the moment all conversing died, and not a word more was spoken until Chie went up to her desk and decided to break the silence. "Class, I talked to Kimura-san's mother," she told them all. "…He's not sick, and he's not on vacation or anything like that. …But his mother told me he never came home yesterday, and he wasn't even there in the morning."

Looks of terror flashed across faces, including Keiichi.

"Could it be another disappearance?" Satoshi yelled out, standing up from his seat. Keiichi looked a little surprised. It was unlike Satoshi to yell so loudly like that.

Chie nodded her head, not even bothering to scold him for standing up or yelling in the middle of class. "It hasn't happened in three weeks, but it seems as if another child has gone missing. …I believe that makes eight gone now."

Keiichi recalled what he had been told before, about children randomly disappearing, causing the increase in empty desks. He gulped as he realized he was right about the number of empty desks being a little higher today, and unfortunately, it looked as if that was going to be a permanent change. None of the children had come back. This boy certainly wasn't going to be an exception.

"Do we still not know who has been doing these things? !" Satoshi cried out as loud as he could, his eyes wide. "How do we not know? ! Have we not been searching for the culprit? !"

Chie looked taken aback. "Well, of course they have, but no one has found anything. We don't even know if those children have been killed or if they are being held captive, or if-."

"Then what? !" cried Satoshi, his voice raising. "Are we going to sit back and watch all the young children get taken away from us?"

"Satoshi-san!" cried Chie, her voice full of surprise. Never had anyone seen Satoshi act like this before.

But Satoshi did not sit down, nor did his tone of voice decrease. He still wore that look of fear on his face, and he still used that loud tone that seemed so unlike him. "What about my sister? !" he cried out, causing Satoko's eyes to widen. "She's the same age as Kimura Yoshio-san! She's the same age as everyone who has gone missing! What if she goes missing? What if they take Satoko from me? ! What if they kill her? !"

"Nii-Nii," whispered Satoko in awe.

Chie didn't bother to tell him to sit back down. She knew that anything she said to him would be useless. "Satoshi-san, I know where you're coming from, but understand that if you protect her, something like that won't happen!" she cried to him. A look of frustration marred her face as she looked down at the desk, her fists clenched. "It was my job to take care of all the students who have been taken, and I've failed as a teacher in that regard. I have trust in you, Satoshi-san."

"But what if I can't? What if I fail her? I would never forgive myself if something like that happened!" he replied, not even taking in what Chie said.

Chie was about to answer, but the shrill voice of a young girl stopped her before she could say anything. "Nii-Nii," Satoko spoke to his brother, who instantly looked down upon her. "It's okay."

"No it's not! Satoko, do you know that it's possible they might take you?" he spoke to her, fear completely coating his purple eyes.

Satoko gave him a reassuring smile. "Who are we talking about here, Nii-Nii? I'm Houjou Satoko, the master of all kinds of traps! Do you you think that someone like me would be caught easily? I have a few traps up my sleeve… quite literally," she replied with a grin on her face. "So you don't have to worry about me!" she laughed. "Besides, I have my Nii-Nii to help me if things go wrong!"

Satoshi seemed to calm down a little after listening to his sister's words. He realized that she was indeed right. Satoko wouldn't be someone that would be easy to catch at all. If they tried to attack her, she could just throw one of her smoke-inducing items at them and run away, perhaps catching the face of the kidnapper in the process of doing so. But still, he felt a little uneasy about the last part. "I don't know if I could protect you, Satoko. I'm too weak…"

"Not true!" Satoko replied, smiling. "I trust in my Nii-Nii, no matter what, and I trust that he could protect me and be strong!"

"Satoko…" whispered Satoshi.

He took his seat once again, though the expression he wore on his face was still rather dark. Keiichi was rather surprised by his behavior, to say the least. He would have never expected a guy like him to have an outburst like that in the middle of class, though it made sense. Of course Satoshi would be worried with all the young kids disappearing. Satoko could be next, for all anyone knew. He was pretty sure they wouldn't take Rika, as she was the head of the Furude Family, but Satoko was not an unlikely option. He wasn't sure what they needed the kids for, but that really didn't matter. If he were Satoshi, he would be scared, too.

_Satoshi can really stand up for his sister, can't he? …He's braver than he thinks…_

**~~~~X~~~~**

The school day went by, and soon enough, everyone was walking out the door, the subject of Kimura Yoshio on their minds as well as all the other children that had gone missing. Satoshi hadn't been able to wipe that grave look of worrying off of his face all day, even though Satoko's words to him had done some good for his mind. And even as he was packing up, that look remained on his face.

"Satoshi, wait a moment!" Keiichi cried out to him.

The boy turned around. "Yes, Keiichi?"  
>"Are you guys going to head straight home?" He asked him.<p>

Satoshi nodded.

"Then please let me come with you! I haven't been able to go to your house yet, and I would like to take a look. Besides, I think we need to talk a little, don't we?" he requested. He was hoping to spend a little more time with him, Satoko, and Rika after Satoshi's outburst during class. Perhaps he would feel a little safer with someone else his age around the two young girls.

He looked a little surprised by the offer. "Oh… sure," he replied.

Keiichi grabbed his back and followed Satoshi, Rika, and Satoko out of the door. The two girls seemed excited that a friend was coming over to play with them after school, and they were bustling with conversation. Satoko was conversing loudly with Rika about what kinds of traps she was going to set off on Keiichi, which unfortunately would be quite the failure now that he had overheard everything that she was planning on doing to him. However, seeing as Satoko was the trap master, the fact that she had given away her traps might be the trap itself. She always had something hidden up her sleeve, and Keiichi wondered if that would be any exception.

The group of friends wandered through the thick woods, making their way through the many trees that bunched together. He wondered how things were for the three of them, living out and away from everyone else in a little abandoned house in the middle of the forest. He couldn't imagine doing the same thing. It must be tough with them without parents to help them around or anything like that. They had to live all by themselves without any help from anyone.

They eventually reached their house, when they did, Keiichi realize that their house was really nothing at all. It looked like it had two small floors and could hold a kitchen, a bathroom, and maybe room for the three of them, but the whole house just looked old. It looked a little like it was falling apart in areas of the roof, and it wasn't really well made. He questioned how they managed to live in such a place.

"I know it's not anything, but it's where we live, so…" Satoshi spoke, gazing up at the building.

Rika nodded. "It really isn't anything, but I like it… let's go inside."

Keiichi followed them into the house. The inside of it really wasn't much, either. They owned small kitchen, which was probably fine for a small group of kids like them. Their bedrooms were probably upstairs, as all that was in the bottom floor was the kitchen and some decorations, along with a table for them to eat at. Satoshi wandered over to the table and sat down, gesturing for Keiichi to do the same.

"Mii, do you want some rice? I made too much for lunch so I have extra," Rika asked the two boys as Satoko wandered over to the refrigerator.

"That would be nice, thanks," Satoshi replied, smiling.

The two little girls went off to retrieve the rice while Satoshi and Keiichi sat down, waiting for the two of them to do so. Satoshi wasn't really saying much, Keiichi noted. He seemed to be deep in thought, and Keiichi automatically assumed that it had to do with the case of all the missing children. Who in the world would capture little children? He didn't really know. The idea of doing so just seem sick and twisted, especially if they were _killing_ the poor kids. Killing a child was just brutal, and didn't seem right in any way whatsoever.

"Are you still thinking about Satoko and the kidnappers?" Keiichi asked him.

Satoshi nodded his head. "That's right. I can't help but feel worried, Keiichi. As an older brother, it's my duty to protect Satoko. …I just don't know if I can. You know, those mothers really loved their children. I'm sure they were trying to protect them just as much as I am trying to protect Satoko, if not even more than me. It may not end any differently," he replied, fiddling with the hem of his shirt nervously.

Keiichi couldn't quite understand the brother-sister bond the two of them had, as he didn't have any siblings, but he could understand that their connection was quite strong. Satoshi really was trying his hardest for her. "I think you just have to believe in her," he told him. "She told you that she wouldn't be caught, and I for one certainly believe in that. Do you know how much those traps hurt? I doubt the kidnapper could get close to her."  
>"For Satoko's sake, I really hope that's true," he whispered, looking down at the smooth wood making up the table.<p>

Rika and Satoko returned, carrying bowls of rice. Rika placed one in front of Keiichi and then sat down with her own bowl. Satoko did the same to Satoshi, and after giving him the bowl, she began to dig into the soft, fluffy rice greedily. She was chewing rather loudly.  
>"Table manners, Satoko," Satoshi reminded her as he gripped his chopsticks.<p>

Satoko paused. "Oh, sorry," she replied with a mouth full of rice.

Rika laughed at the two siblings before her. "Mii, Satoko should really watch her manners sometimes. But I guess that she's just hungry today, because the others kept picking at her lunch! Nipah~!" she said.

"It was Rena, wasn't it?" Satoko said after she had swallowed her rice, staring at Keiichi. "It couldn't have been anyone else. Satoshi and Rika have the same lunch as me, and Takeru was practically eating all of her lunch. I feel sorry for her sometimes."

"Well, his plans to get her certainly aren't working," Rika replied. "I think that the flirty lines are a little overkill, and eating her lunch is just plain rude…"

Satoshi stared into his bowl. "But I don't think he realizes. He's just trying a little too hard to get her, that's all."

"I still like Takeru. He just needs to watch himself sometimes," Rika added on.

Satoshi nodded in agreement.

"Well, since it's rude to talk about other people while they aren't present, especially our friends who we love and care for, I believe we should move on," Rika replied after she had finished swallowing her mouthful. "I know that it's probably a dark subject… but Kimura Yoshio…"

Keiichi stiffened at the mention of the boy's name. "I wonder who is sick and twisted enough to capture little children, and possibly even kill them."

"It's all a mystery," Rika added on. "Yoshio was a good friend of mine. I feel so bad…"

"So, even the great Furude head doesn't know a thing?" Keiichi spoke, though after doing so, he realized that he shouldn't have said anything. It sounded just downright rude, like he was accusing her or something similar to that. "…Not that I'm trying to accuse you of anything. I didn't mean it like that," he added on in order to save Rika from getting the wrong impression.

"Don't worry, that wasn't my impression to begin with," replied Rika with a large, cute smile on her face. If Rena were there, she would surely snatch her up in a matter of seconds. "I know what you were trying to say. You were saying that as the Furude head, scary information about big bad guys should go to me, right? Well it doesn't, really. I don't know who is doing it, but I certainly have an idea."  
>Keiichi blinked. "And what would that be?"<p>

"Kimiyoshi," Satoshi answered before Rika could say anything. "…Rika's told us what she thinks about him. He has so many demons, so it's possible that he could be using them as food…"

Using humans as food was certainly free, but when Keiichi went into the Kimiyoshi Demon Storage Area, he noted that all of them were incredibly skinny and looked as if they hadn't been fed in months. Kai, when he saw him at the execution, looked normal, but that was probably because he was fed due to being the head demon. "They seem kind of skinny, though. Do you really think that?"  
>Rika nodded. "A little boy like Yoshio should be satisfying enough for some demons… and it's possible they just looked skinny because Yoshio was the first one in three weeks."<p>

Well, that certainly made sense, and it was an answer to any doubts he had about the whole idea. "I think that makes sense, then. But why would he only be kidnapping little children? Why not older ones? I'm sure… I'm sure they're more… filling." Saying such a thing made Keiichi shudder.

"Just think about it. What if Kimiyoshi tried to grab Takeru or Rena? Do you think that would be as easy?" Rika responded.

Even if he used demons, Takeru and Rena may be just a little harder to grab than someone like a little kid. He had seen Yoshio around in the class, though he didn't talk to him ever. He really was a small kid. It must have taken no effort at all to grab him and take him to the demons. And if they really did kill him, it would have taken no effort to do that, either. _Poor kid…_

That's when he realized Satoko hadn't said anything the whole conversation. She just looked a little depressed. She had probably been good friends with Yoshio, too.

"Those demons are starving. Rika here makes sure that something like that doesn't happen," Satoshi said as he looked over to the blue-haired girl. "I've been down to talk to the demons every once or twice. She often brings Kaede up to talk with us. She's really kind even though she's a demon." He paused. "Not all demons are bad. Kimiyoshi's demons are, though, because he's not nice to them…"  
>Although Keiichi thought this was probably true, he remembered Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight were also nice despite their treatment. Perhaps it was possible for any demon to be nice. Maybe Kimiyoshi just chose the rotten ones. "I'd understand that. I guess there are some demons who are different from the rest."<p>

Satoko suddenly piped up. "Kaede's really fun to be around! She's kind and sometimes, she even plays games with us!"

Rika nodded. "She enjoys Satoshi and Satoko's company."

For one of the head demons, Kaede didn't seem to be all that bad. Kai just seemed to be the emotionless type, someone who would be hard to talk to it. He looked like he took his work very seriously. Of course, there would be no way in knowing whether or not Kenji was a nice demon. He was dead, after all. "Well, I guess it's nice to have a demon friend to play with," he said, thinking back to playing cards with Number Twenty-Seven.

Rika smiled. "How about if I go get Kaede now and we go for a stroll in the woods? I'm sure she'd like that, and I'm sure Keiichi would like to meet her," she suggested as she pushed away her empty rice bowl. "It's a nice day, after all."

Satoko grinned. "Sounds like fun!"

Although he didn't say it out loud, Keiichi was excited to meet one of the head demons. He wondered if she was really as nice as they said, and if she was similar to Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight. _And I wonder if she can't feel emotions… either… or so demons claim._

"Then let's go!"

Satoko, Satoshi, and Keiichi went outside the house, and Rika told them to wait there so she could grab Kaede. She began to run off into the woods and soon disappeared in the mix of the many trees.

"The place where she keeps the demons is just a little that way," Satoshi explained to Keiichi. "It's by the Saiguden, which is a tool shrine only members of the Furude family are allowed to enter. I don't think Rika plans for us to go in that direction on our little walk. The storage looks a little like the Saiguden from the outside, too. I can't say if it looks the same on the inside, though. I've never been in into the Saiguden…"

"I think she told me it was similar, once," Satoko commented.

"Right. I'd think so, too…" murmured Satoshi.

Keiichi nodded. It seemed as if the areas the Great Families kept their demons in were all different. Kimiyoshi's was attached to his house, Rika's was in a storage that looked a little like a tool shed, and the one belonging to the Sonozakis was in a hidden basement in the middle of their forest. _I wonder where the other demons get to stay, the ones belonging to some of the villagers. Maybe they're just kept in the house? In any case, they're probably in better shape. It must be easier to feed them…_

A minute later, Rika came running back with a orange-haired woman behind her. "I brought Kaede!" cried Rika as she stopped running, meeting up with the three friends.

Keiichi turned to get a better look at her. She had bright orange hair that reached about halfway down to her waist, and her eyes were of a lime green color. On her neck, as expected, was a metal collar, reading the name Kaede. However, her collar was different from the spiked ones worn by Sonozaki demons or the ones engraved with patterns the Kimiyoshi demons had. Her collar was embedded with a brown metal, going up and down in waves all across her collar.

_I guess it's different for every family?_ Keiichi thought as he stared at it.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Satoko, Satoshi," Kaede spoke. "…And who might this be?"

Rika smiled. "This is Maebara Keiichi," she introduced. "And Keiichi, this is Kaede, as I've told you before. She's the head demon of the Furude family, and has been that forever!"

Keiichi grinned at the demon as best as he could. She didn't seem like the evil type of demon. Besides, Rika of all people owned her. There was no way that someone like Rika would order her to kill him or anything even close to that. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaede!" he cried out.

The demon observed the boy in front of her, studying him with her lime-colored eyes. "Oh, yes, you were telling me about him before. This is the boy that your friend spoke of."

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "Friend?" he inquired as he looked at Rika. "Which friend?"

Satoko let out a sigh. "Are you talking about your imaginary friend again, Rika?" she asked her.

Rika frowned. "She's not my imaginary friend."

Satoko was about to respond, but Satoshi placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn and look at the boy. He shook his head at her, and Satoko remained silent after that. It seemed like the topic of her imaginary friend was something that Rika took seriously.

"In any case," Keiichi spoke, deciding not to think much of the topic of Rika's imaginary friend. She was a child, and it wasn't unlike a child to have an imaginary friend. "How about if we head off?"

"Right!"

The five of them went off into the forest, chatting with each other as they went by many trees. Keiichi glanced at Satoko as she spoke happily with Kaede about how things had been for her since Keiichi had moved in. She went on to talk about the different kinds of traps she had set for him in the past, and how he had fallen for many of them. She called herself an expert at traps. And then, she began to mention how there was one right in front of Keiichi…

…And by the time Keiichi had processed that, he had already fallen into it. The next thing he knew, he was dangling from a tree with a rope wrapped around his ankle. How she had managed to make such a trap, Keiichi would never know. "Hey, Satoko, let me down from here!" he cried out as he looked at her, who was upside-down in his vision. "That wasn't very funny!"

Satoko laughed. "Ohohohohoho! It looks like you're still no match for me, peasant!" she spoke, a smirk on her face as she observed the dangling Keiichi.

"I'm glad to see you haven't changed, Satoko," Kaede commented as she stared into Keiichi's blue eyes, which were silently begging for someone to let him down.

"Did you think I would change, Kaede?" Satoko replied. "Traps have always been my specialty!"

"No. I expected this all right…" she replied.

"Hey, isn't anyone going to help e down!" cried Keiichi as he struggled about. "I'm still dangling here!"

With a sigh, Satoshi undid the rope, unfortunately causing Keiichi to come crashing to the ground on his back. Grumbling, he stood up, rubbing it. "Urgh… thanks Satoshi. Ow… that really hurt though…"  
>Satoshi shot him an apologetic look. "I didn't mean for that to happen… sorry…"<p>

"It's fine," he responded, though still rubbing his sore back.

Keiichi glared at Satoko, who smirked and laughed at his misfortune. He knew for a fact that she was just playing, so he shouldn't get so mad at her. Besides, if he were to be too harsh, Satoko might start to hate him, and then Satoshi probably would too for saying such words to her. Really, it was only child's play. "Well, it looks like you're still really good at traps. You didn't set one up this morning. …How did you set it up so that the rope would attach to my ankle like that?

"A trap master never gives away her tricks!" taunted Satoko, waggling her finger. "I will never tell you the secret to my abilities. If you want to find out, why don't you take some time to study it?"

"Urgh, no thanks," mumbled Keiichi as he poked his back. "Ow…"

The five on them continued onwards, with Keiichi still rubbing his back. As he went along the paths, he kept giving glances to Satoshi, who still looked incredibly worried. And at that time, Keiichi was sure that he would never wipe that look off of his face. Rika was conversing with Satoko and Kaede, with both humans speaking fondly of the many events that had happened since Keiichi moved in.

"I think he's a great person!" cried Rika. "He's so much fun!"

Satoko laughed. "He's a wonderful guy but… ohoho… he's also a stupid peasant unworthy of the great Queen Satoko!"

Rika looked at Kaede. "She doesn't mean that, Kaede."  
>"Yeah, but still, he can't beat me at anything. Anything he could do I could do better," she boasted, crossing her arms in front of her chest and shutting her eyes, a smirk of pride on her face. "I think it's safe to say that I'm certainly better at traps!"<p>

When Keiichi heard this, a competitive flare ignited inside of him. Anything he could do she could do better, huh? Saying such a thing was basically just begging for a competition. "Oh really, Satoko? Do you actually believe that?" he asked her, a grin on his face. "I don't think that's true. In fact, how about if we race to that big tree over there?" he asked her, pointing to a gigantic tree visible in the distance. Before she could even respond, Keiichi took off.

"Hey! No fair!" screeched Satoko as she ran off, though at that point, Keiichi was already about a quarter of the way to the tree. He turned his head around to look at her, a smirk similar to the one she had been wearing before on his face, and then returned his vision to the tree. He picked up the pace, feeling the air rush by him as his feet hit the ground. Surely he would win. There was no way that he couldn't!

And soon enough, he reached the giant tree, having beaten Satoko. He grinned with victory. So much for what Satoko had said earlier! "Hah, take that Satoko!" he cried out. When Satoko said nothing in response, he turned his head around to take a look at the girl who was surely quite a bit behind him.

But when he looked, he found that she was not alone.

A figure stood before her. The figure wearing a rather brightly colored kimonos and a collar around his neck, indicating that he was indeed a demon. Keiichi instantly froze when he saw him, though that only lasted a few seconds. The next thing he knew, he was dashing towards the girl and the demon. "Satoko!" he cried out, appearing next to her in a flash.

"It looks like there's another human here," the demon commented as he observed the two humans in front of him. "Well, it looks like I have no choice but to kill you both." He was holding a knife in his hand, a knife that was now pointed at both of them. "I have no choice but to do so."

Keiichi gulped. Right in front of him was a demon that would actually kill him. He looked over to Satoko, who had fear in her purple eyes, and who was now backing up. "H-H-Help!" she cried out.

Keiichi didn't know what to do. Right before him was a demon that was going to kill them both. The demon before him was surely fast, and would be able to catch him if he ran away, even if he _had_ won that little race he had with Satoko. He gulped as he stared at the large knife the demon was holding, the sun reflected in the sharp blade. Was he really going to die here? He wasn't sure what he was going to do.

And then, out of nowhere, another figure came running from behind him, a fierce look in his eyes. "Don't you dare touch my sister!" Satoshi screamed as he ran forward, instantly catching the demon's attention. He was shocked, to say the least. Satoshi then jumped right in front of his sister, his arms spread wide apart. "You can kill me if you want, but I won't let you touch her!" he growled. "In fact, I won't even allow that! Get the hell out of here!"

The demon raised an eyebrow. "And why do you think that I'll spare you?" he questioned. "You're just a human being, and I have orders to kill anyone who gets close to here!"

"I don't care!" he snapped back. "Get away from here, right now! I'll show you a hell worse than the one you came from, demon!"

He growled. "Is that a threat, boy? You don't look like you could take me on even if you _tried._"

"I could!" Satoshi replied. "I could take you on! Maybe I won't win, but I can put up a good fight!"

Keiichi's eyes went wide. Satoshi really could become defensive of his sister when he wanted to, showing off the fact that he had the ability to protect Satoko within him. He claimed that he wouldn't be able to do such a thing, but in truth, he really could. The fierce look he gave the frightening demon in front of him was enough for Keiichi to know that he would be able to take down the demon, even if he was only a human and the one in front of him a demon. At that moment, there was no doubt about it.

"Oh really, then I'll just have to-" the demon began to speak.

However, he was cut off by two other figures appearing out of seemingly nowhere, the two of them standing across from him. One of them wore a fierce look in her blue eyes, and the other was fidgeting a little bit. "Number Fifty-One! What in the world do you think you're doing?" one of the new figures asked.

The demon looked surprised. "I'm just obeying orders, Number Forty! They told me to kill anyone who went around here!" he yelled.

"You dumbass! He told me to guard this area and stop people any suspicious actions. He told _you_ to stay by the Kimiyoshi Manor and kill anyone that tried to kill the demons!" she yelled at him. "Even I know that, and I wasn't even given your orders!"  
>The second new figure frowned. "Forty? Maybe you're being a little harsh on him… I mean… all he did was mishear orders…"<p>

"Shut up, Number Thirty-Nine. I know what I'm doing!" she hissed at him.

Keiichi blinked in confusion, and Satoshi's harsh eyes died. They were both just incredibly puzzled by the scene before them. As he looked at their collars, Keiichi noticed the patterns engraved in them and came to the conclusion that the Kimiyoshi family owned them. The one who was yelling at the other had the number forty engraved in her collar, and the quieter demon had the number thirty-nine engraved in his. And finally, the one who had tried to attack them before was Number Fifty-One, the human that had turned into a demon at the execution.

"Excuse me," came Kaede's voice from behind the group. "Is there any reason why a Kimiyoshi demon has gone on this territory and attempted to kill? You know the rules of Onigafuchi doesn't allow such orders," she hissed at them.

Number Forty looked a little hostile towards the demon, but that instantly died when she realized that the demon in front of her was Kaede, the head demon of the Furude family. "Forgive us. This stupid, new demon right here misheard orders. He's supposed to be killing anyone who gets into the Kimiyoshi Manor to steal demons. Number Thirty-Nine and I are here monitoring. We're supposed to be looking out for the kidnappers."

Kaede nodded her head in understanding. "Understood. Just don't let it happen again."

Number Forty dipped her head. "Thank you, Kaede. Now, Number Thirty-Nine, let's drag this idiot back so we can tell Master about this," she told the other demon before turning to give Number Fifty-One a harsh look.

"All right," sighed Number Thirty-Nine as he grabbed the newer demon's arm before Number Forty did the same. They led him away from the group of friends, while he screamed about how he had thought those were his orders.

Rika, who hadn't spoken up until that moment, let out a sigh. "Kimiyoshi really needs to be taking better care of his demons. Not only are they not fed, but they aren't understanding orders, either. Though I suppose that the whole thing about looking for the kidnapper goes against my theory of using the little kids to feed the demons, huh?" she commented, walking up to the stunned group of friends.

"That was kind of weird," Satoko spoke, the fear in her eyes now gone. "But I guess it just shows how bad Kimiyoshi is at keeping his demons. In my opinion, Rika will always be the best!"

Rika grinned. "Thank you, Satoko."

"It's no problem. I'm just speaking the truth!" replied Satoko with a grin.

Kaede rolled her green eyes. "I'm glad that I'm not a part of that family. It's hard enough to be sitting around a place with thirty-four other demons. I'd hate to be in a place like the Kimiyoshi Manor. That guy has to start to learn how to be more responsible. Fifty-one demons is too much to manage," she commented as she crossed her arms. "He should sell a few to the Sonozaki family or something."

"Yeah," agreed Rika.

"Ah, oh well. Let's just forget about the whole thing for now and move forwards. Master Rika, I'm assuming you'll speak with Kimiyoshi about this later…" Kaede spoke.

"I certainly will," grumbled the girl.

And so, the friends continued on with their stroll, chattering to each other about this and that. However, as they did so, Keiichi observed Satoshi. He still looked worried, but was there a reason for him to be worried? He had just shown off that he could protect Satoko and anyone else if he tried, even if he did act a little shy and quiet at times. He shouldn't be so scared. Even if Satoko had been a little startled by the appearance of those demons, if someone had actually tried to kidnap her without delay, she would be sure to defend herself.

"Satoshi," Keiichi said to the boy, causing him to turn to look him in the eye. "Are you still worried?" he asked him.

"A little," responded Satoshi.

Keiichi grinned. "Well there's no reason to be. Satoshi, you should have seen the look in your eyes. You could scare off anyone with that, and with that bravery, I'm sure that Satoko won't end up in the hands of a killer."

He looked surprised by that statement. "You think so, Keiichi?"

"Yes," replied Keiichi, looking at him with confidence in his blue eyes. "I really do think so, Satoshi. So no more worrying, okay? Just think positive thoughts." He grinned at him. "Satoko is never going to get hurt with a big brother like you around. I'm sure that she's glad to have you."  
>The shock on the blonde-haired boy's face soon softened, and a smile replaced it. "Thank you, Keiichi. Your words really mean a lot to me," he told him softly.<p>

"I'm glad," he replied.

Yes, there was no way that Satoko would ever be caught, and that was certain. Satoshi was a stronger person than he thought he was, and a stronger person than he sometimes acted to be. Even though he was shy and quiet, there was no doubt that he was a strong person, and there was no doubt that he made the perfect older brother for Satoko. _And I'm sure that together, the two of them could catch the kidnapper. Between Satoko's strength and Satoshi's willingness to protect her… I'm sure that if they ever come across them, they will be able to expose him and save the village from any more threats. I have no more doubts about this. This is the complete and utter truth._

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2:**

**It has come to my attention that many people seem to forget that Satoshi is not only Shion's love interest, but Satoko's older brother and the person that protected her all those past years. Really, when you think of Satoshi, most people think about Shion. But when I think of Satoshi, I think about Satoko and how he protected her. I feel like this isn't something that's highlighted in fanfics, and so, this chapter was made. The development was a little fast, but Satoshi's realization of strength was never something I planned to dwell on nor was it something I planned to make a big plot point, anyways. Satoko and Satoshi have been neglected in this fanfiction AND Green-Eyed Demon, so what can I say? I will tell you that this is not the end of Satoshi's and Satoko's brother-sister relationship in this fanfiction. There's going to be more.**

**Hopefully we'll have the next chapter up tomorrow or Monday, but no promises on that one. …Can it be Winter break all ready? I'm in the mood for that right now. I'd rather be on vacation than sitting at my desk doing homework all day. Just be happy with how this chapter turned out. I was planning 4,000 words, and now its twice as long. This was an accident.**

**Review! Reviewers can get a Satoshi plushie! Have I given that one out all ready? Well, I if I have, then have another one! People who point out typos and Paragraph scrunches will get a book on traps and how to make them. You probably won't be as good as Satoko, but honestly, who is? The next chapter will have a ton of Shmion, so look forward to that.**

**And now, I am off to watch episode two of Fate/Zero, which I have been eagerly waiting to do. Until next time!**

**~Crimso**


	13. Chapter 12: Questions

**Crimso's Notes:**

**I love long weekends. I cherish them. Why? Because I can stay up till 3 Am on Fridays, Saturdays, AND Sundays without having to do any freaking work. Yeah, that's the time I've set for myself to go to bed on Fridays and Saturdays. It's twelve am otherwise. I can't allow myself to get no sleep at all, after all.**

**One: Once again, I'm skipping the whole thing where Keiichi steals the key from Takeru's room. Once again, it's getting repetitive and annoying to write, and I'm sure you guys don't want to read about it again.**

**Two: I'm trying to clear up confusion here, as there's WAAAY too much going on right now. I plan for that not to last very much longer, hopefully. We'll have to see.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 12: Questions**

Footsteps echoed through the Sonozaki Basement as Keiichi walked the rows of empty cells, seeing nothing but bones within them. As he looked at them, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry. Maybe the demons in there were like Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight. He still couldn't quite understand Oryou's sudden wrath and why she had decided to hurt the Sonozaki family by killing all of its demons, but that was a subject that he didn't ponder too often. He often had other things on his mind, and in fact, sometimes there were too many things on his mind.

He sighed as he stopped in front of the final cell, seeing Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight's sleeping figures. It seemed to him that the two of them had decided that the time he usually came around was naptime for the both of them, save for the time where he had first met them. As usual, they were cuddling with each other, both of them looking very content and peaceful. He really hated to wake them up, but they had other opportunities to sleep, didn't they? Besides, he had brought them meat today, and they would surely enjoy that.

"Number Twenty-Seven, Number Twenty-Eight!" he bellowed. "Wake up!"  
>One of the demons opened her eyes and sat up as soon as she saw it was him, while the other stirred awake, though didn't bother to get up. The one fully awake scooted herself to the front of her cage and stared up into the boy's eyes.<p>

"Hello, Number Twenty-Seven," he greeted her.

"Hello, Kei-chan," she responded.

Keiichi glanced to Number Twenty-Eight, who was still trying to get herself up. "You guys seem to sleep a lot, don't you? Especially during this time of day," he commented.

Number Twenty-Seven nodded. "We just tend to get tired during this time of day. When one of us gets tired, we decide to take a nap. It's usually sis who gets tired, though," she replied as she looked over at her sister. "Don't worry, she'll have to get up soon. She's just being a little slow, like usual. After all, I don't think that sis will enjoy sleeping on the hard floor all by herself."

"I noticed that you two always sleep next to each other," he spoke. Each and every time he caught her sleeping, her body would be snuggled with her sister's. Never had he seen them sleeping away from each other.

"Right," she responded. "We do that because… well… this whole place is very cold. The floors are cold, the air is cold… it's not very nice," she explained to him. "But you know, sis… she's warm, unlike the room around us. When we are close to each other, it feels warm and not cold. It would be impossible sleeping without her."

Keiichi wasn't sure if she was referring to the temperature of the room, or the feeling she got inside of her body. The place wasn't all that cold, for the most part. Of course, to a girl who lived there all her life, the place might just seem empty and devoid of life. Her sister was the only other person, a person who was full of life unlike everything else around them. Perhaps she thought that she was warm for that reason, because she felt comfortable in her presence.

"Oh, I see," were the only words Keiichi could think of. The two of them had been living together all their lives, without anyone else's comfort. The fact that they cuddled up together every nap and every night really went to show how close the two of them were. Thinking back to the Houjou siblings the day before, Keiichi realized the bonds between siblings were very strong, and perhaps even stronger for the two twins who had been together every moment of their lives, never once being without the other. In a place devoid of life like this one, it was probably really comforting to have her around. That just supported his idea of the words Number Twenty-Seven used referring to how her mind felt around her.

Wanting to keep the conversation going, Keiichi decided to speak what was on his mind. "It must be nice to have her around in a place like this, you know, where no one else is here."

"If she wasn't here, I would probably just beg Master to kill me. One of the servants here told me that I should just die if I didn't want to be under his rule, and if it weren't for her, I would have just accepted that offer," replied Number Twenty-Seven as she looked up at the ceiling, probably in deep thought as she recalled the memory. "She just makes this whole place feel warm, not cold."

Keiichi smiled. The bonds between siblings certainly were close. "Haha, you really do love your sister, don't you?" he commented without thinking about it at all. "I can understand why you would think that, but I myself don't have siblings. I have a friend who has a little sister, and he loves her very much," he continued on, picturing the smiling Satoshi and Satoko in her head. "Being with siblings must be a wonderful feeling. I'd be happy if I had one."

Number Twenty-Seven wore a look of confusion on her face as she tried to take in what he had just said. "…I don't understand a word of what you just said," she admitted to him. "Love?"

Then he remembered what she had told him before, about how she apparently didn't have any emotions. Thinking back, he realized that the word "love" was included on the list of things she apparently couldn't feel. She herself didn't understand the affection she had towards her sister. However, the idea that she didn't have any was downright ridiculous. There was no way she could claim that her sister was warm and claim she didn't have emotions and couldn't feel affection at the same time. "Ahaha, sorry about that," he replied.

"It's okay," she responded, though it looked as if she was still trying to make sense of what Keiichi had said to her. Her face was full of confusion as she thought hard about it, and a little bit of frustration could be seen when she realized that she still couldn't understand.

Suddenly, he heard grumbling. Number Twenty-Eight was pulling herself to the front, a look of drowsiness on her face as she rubbed her green eyes. "Man, I don't think I slept that long at all."

Number Twenty-Seven shook her head. "You were asleep before I was, and I know for a fact that I got quite a bit of sleep. You just didn't sleep all that much last night, I suppose," she responded.

"Urgh…" mumbled Number Twenty-Eight in response. She stopped rubbing her eyes so she could look at the brown-haired boy in front of her. "What were you two talking about?"

Keiichi scratched his head, trying to figure out how to summarize the story to the girl in front of her. "We were talking about how close you two are, and how you feel warm when you are next to each other," he explained to her. He wondered to himself if Number Twenty-Eight also thought her sister was warm, and if she also believed that she was unable to feel emotions just like her sister. Well, since she was a demon, it shouldn't be any different for her. "And that's about it."

"Sis is warm," replied Number Twenty-Eight instantly. "She's very warm. The rest of the room is cold and it doesn't feel nice. But sis is warm unlike everything else." It seemed to him like she had the same exact viewpoint as her sister on the subject. "That's why we're always beside each other. So I can feel warm. I think that the whole room would just be cold without her. It wouldn't be nice at all."

Keiichi tried to figure out how to respond without using any words like love that they wouldn't understand. It was really tricky, and it made Keiichi feel even worse. It was like they were still very, very young children who couldn't understand basic concepts of life. "So I heard from your sister. You two have a lot in common in terms of opinion, it seems. You find your sister warm and your sister thinks that you are warm. You two are very alike, and not just in appearance."

The twins looked at each other. "It's kind of funny when I look at sis and realize I look the same as she does," replied Number Twenty-Seven as she stared into her sister's green eyes. "Really, it does feel that way."

Keiichi chuckled. "I can't imagine what it would be like if I had an identical twin. I'm sure that people would sometimes think I was him and get all confused!" he responded, imagining the various things he could do if he were a twin. "Haha, I could imagine dressing up like my twin brother and pulling a bunch of tricks on people! They would never know if it was me or my brother!" He then looked at both of them, observing their various features. Really, they were exactly alike, save for the writing on the collar. If both collars didn't contain their numbers, there would be know way he would know which twin he was talking to.

Number Twenty-Seven's eyes widened, and a spark similar to the one that she had before when she was playing games with him appeared in her eye. "Haha! That would be so much fun! I could play so many tricks on people and get away with it. Heh, I bet if I could get this damn collar off of my sis and I, we could totally trick Yasuo! Gahahaha!" she began laughing hysterically as she thought of the idea of doing so. "I could play so many tricks on him, it would be way too much fun!"

Number Twenty-Eight grinned. "Haha, wouldn't it?" There was a mischievous smirk on her face, though it was not nearly as powerful as her sister's.

"It totally would!" cried Number Twenty-Seven. "I bet you anything we could confuse the hell out of that guy without our collars. He wouldn't know which is which!"

Keiichi laughed a little at the spark she had. She really acted a lot differently than she usually did at times. He contrasted the image of the competitive, strong Number Twenty-Seven before his eyes and the Number Twenty-Seven he had just been talking to. There was a pretty big gap between them. "That sounds like fun. I'm actually kind of jealous now. I want a twin brother! Ahaha!" he laughed.

The two twins looked at each other. "Hey, sis, I bet if I flipped your collar around along with mine, we could trick anyone!" Number Twenty-Seven said to her.

"Heh, let's try it!"

The two twins flipped their collars around to the back, so that their numbers were hidden. Keiichi stared at them both. If he hadn't known where they were sitting before, he wouldn't be able to tell them apart. There were now no more indications as to which twin was which aside from their seating. "Wow, it really does work," he commented.

They both grinned. "Heh, remind me to try it later, sis," Number Twenty-Seven said as she flipped her collar back to the front. "Yasuo will be totally confused."

"Of course, it sounds like fun!" responded Number Twenty-Eight.

Keiichi chuckled at them both, and once again, he began to speak without thinking about what he was saying. "Man, you two. I guess games are kind of your thing, aren't they?" he laughed. "I mean, Number Twenty-Seven, you're pretty competitive with cards, but your sister looks like she's the same in a sense! Haha… games like that make people happy, so I understand! You must enjoy it a lot!"

Silence followed, and only then did Keiichi realize that he had mentioned the word happy again. Number Twenty-Eight's look of confusion was enough for him to know that she was also under the impression that she couldn't feel any emotions. Number Twenty-Seven looked down, her green bangs shadowing over her eyes, while her sister looked away uncomfortably as she tried to make sense of what he had just said. He didn't say a word either. He just didn't know what to say.

"H-Hey, I'm sor-," Keiichi began to speak.

But he never got to finish. Soon enough, Number Twenty-Seven looked up at him with her green eyes, which were now sparkling with pain and suffering. It looked as if all those years she had spent enduring pain was now showing up, all about ready to burst out at once. It was just more indication that she had emotion.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" she requested.

The boy looked into her eyes and read her thought as if they were written down on a piece of paper. It was clear to him that the girl in front of him had been suffering, suffering for much too long. A nod that was given was enough for her to know that it was okay to continue on.

"Thank you… first of all, what's it like outside? I've always tried to picture it…"

The boy's heart filled with pain the moment the words came out of her mouth. The answer to this question was simple, one that everyone knew the answer to. And the answer to why she didn't know the answer to the question was also simple. The girl simply had never been outside, not even once in her whole, entire life.

"Second, can you tell me what the word love means? I've heard it a few times before, but I've never gotten to know what it meant…"

Another simple question, though this time it had a rather complicated answer. Still though, anyone should know what the meaning of the word love was. It was a word used by children of all ages, and a word that was often used by adults as well. Everyone knew the meaning of the word love. And yet, the girl in front of him did not.

"And third… can you tell me what it's like to be human?"

Her sister stared at her. "Sis…" she whispered.

Keiichi clenched his fists when her questions were over. These were all questions anyone and everyone knew the answer to. It was painful to hear them coming from a girl who genuinely didn't know the answers to such simple questions. It made his heart want to burst, and it made him want to punch her grandmother in the face for locking her poor granddaughters up.

"Please answer me," whispered Number Twenty-Seven when he didn't respond right away. Slowly, she reached her hand out through the bars, showing desperation.

Keiichi reached out and touched her hand, holding it with his own. He blushed a little when he held it. Her skin was so soft, so delicate. He had never held a girl's hand before. He squeezed her hand a little, as if to comfort her in the slightest way, even if she wouldn't be able to recognize the meaning behind the action.

He let out a sigh. "I'll try my best," he told her gently, not letting go of her hand.

Number Twenty-Seven smiled in relief. "Thank you…" she whispered, allowing her hand to slip from his.

"Let me start with your first question," he began. "The one about the outside world."

Number Twenty-Seven nodded. Number Twenty-Eight looked interested in the question, too, and there was readable pain in her eyes as well. She too was suffering.

"The outside world is very beautiful. For example, there's a garden right outside here filled with grass, which is a very green plant that grows everywhere. It's a little darker colored than your hair," he said, glancing at the green locks running down the girl's back. "It's very soft and nice."

Number Twenty-Seven listened intently, nodding as she took in the details he was telling her.

Keiichi was trying his best to explain everything to her. He didn't even know if she knew half of the terms he was using., so he was being extra careful with that. "And then there's the sky. It's a nice light blue color, and there are puffy things called clouds in the sky. They look a little like you could hug them and they would be super soft, and they look like you could eat them. Then, there's the big, bright sun in the sky. It's yellow and round, and it lights up all of our planet." Keiichi felt sorry. It seemed to him like he was a kindergarten teacher explaining things to a four-year-old. "And at night, the sun goes down and the sky turns black. Then you can see little things called stars in the sky. They're bright and yellow, kind of like the sun, but they're much smaller and don't light up the sky. Sometimes, you can see tons of them when the sky is clear."

Number Twenty-Seven was doing her best to picture everything in her mind. "That sounds beautiful," she commented.

Keiichi frowned, seeing the longing in her eye. "And at night, you can see the moon. It's very big, like the sun, and it's bright too, but it's a silver color. Sometimes, the moon is like a circle, and you can see a bunny in it. But most of the time, you can only see half of the moon. Only once a month can you see the full moon. But when you see it, it really is beautiful."

The two demons said nothing. They both looked intrigued beyond belief.

"And then there are a bunch of trees, which are huge plants with wood and leaves. I don't really know how to describe them, but they're a bunch of different types. There are some trees with different shaped leaves, and some with different colors. Sometimes the leaves actually change color," he explained to them. "And then there are rivers, which are full of rushing water. Animals like fish like in there. Sometimes, people like to swim in the water when the current isn't too strong."

Keiichi stopped for a moment to look into their eyes. They were both interested by the descriptions and quite amazed by them, but he could see something else in their eyes. He could tell that the descriptions simply weren't enough for them. They wanted to go outside and see everything for themselves.

"…There's a lot more, too. There's houses and mountains and ponds and… there's a lot. I can't really describe anything. It would take decades to describe everything that is outside," he told them softly. "And I'm pretty sure you want me to get to answering your other questions before we spend decades on the outside, don't you?"

Number Twenty-Seven nodded. "Thank you. I think I can understand the outside better now…" she replied.

Keiichi smiled, knowing that he had done some good for her. "Now for your second question, the one about love." He froze for a moment. How in the world was he going to explain love to someone that just didn't understand emotions one bit? Sure, she had them, but she just didn't understand them. "Haha, this is going to be really hard to explain and rather complicated, so listen to me and I hope I can explain as best as I can."  
>The twins nodded in understanding.<p>

"Okay, good," he started. "Well… love is a very… deep and strong feeling of affection or attachment, I suppose. Everyone has love. You can feel it really well, and it's incredibly intense."

The two of them were doing their best at trying to follow him, though somewhat confused expressions were already beginning to form on their faces.

Keiichi let out a sigh when he noticed that they were beginning to look a little confused once again. "I'm sorry. Let me try again. You guys claim you can't feel love, is that correct? Well, you guys actually can. I think that what you're thinking is that you can't understand it because you haven't really experienced it down here, or maybe demons are just born unable to understand."

"That's wrong," Number Twenty-Eight said instantly. "I can't feel anything."

Keiichi shook his head. "No. You guys were talking about how being near each other makes you feel warm, right? You said you felt cold when you are away from each other."

They both nodded.

"That warm feeling is love," he told them both. "That's what you're feeling when you're near each other, because you two love each other."

By now, the two twins were both completely lost. They weren't catching on to what he was trying to tell them at all. Keiichi realized that he was doing a horrible job at attempted to explain, but he couldn't quite figure out how to explain it otherwise. Love was a very complicated emotion. There were many different types of love, like platonic love and romantic love. How in the world was he going to explain that to the two girls in front of him who were unable to grasp the basic concept?

"…I'm just confusing you, aren't I?" he sighed. "Well, there's nothing I can do about that, now is there? I think the problem is the lack of affection you've received in your life." He suddenly paused for a moment. "When did you hear the word love?"

They looked at each other. "Many times," answered Number Twenty-Eight. "Sometimes, the servants would converse with each other as they clean our cages or hand us new clothing, or whatever they're doing. Well, back when there were more demons, of course. Now only one comes down at a time to take care of us. But that's not the point. Sometimes, they'd talk about how much they loved their pet cat or their friend."

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "Has anyone ever said the word love to you?"  
>Number Twenty-Seven scratched her head. "A little while ago, Yasuo was talking about our mother because the subject came up. He was shocked that we knew what it was, but then he brushed it off and said that it didn't matter, because even if she knew us, she wouldn't love us."<p>

Keiichi clenched his fists when he heard that. Did Yasuo really tell them such a thing? It was cruel and unusual to say that, even though they probably weren't sure how much it would hurt them as they didn't understand the meaning of the word. "…Basically, he was saying that your mom would never care for you. She would treat you just like Yasuo did if she met you, even though she's your mother."

"Are mothers supposed to love their children?" Number Twenty-Seven asked.

The brown-haired boy nodded. "If your mother hated you, that would be terrible."

They didn't say a word after that, and neither did Keiichi. He honestly didn't know what to say to them anymore. The subject of love was getting a little too hard, as Keiichi genuinely had no idea how to answer the question anymore. Perhaps the two twins would learn how to feel love through experience. …That was, if they were ever going to experience such a thing in the first place.

"In any case, let's move on to the last question." He paused when he realized he wasn't sure how to answer that one either. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"To be able to go outside, to be able to do whatever you want, to be able to have a name," Number Twenty-Seven listed. "There's so many more things that you can do, Kei-chan. You can do whatever you want whenever you please. …I want to be able to do that. Then I could go about free with my sister and eat every single day, and then I could go to a cozy place and sleep next to my sister, a place that would be a little warmer than here."

Hearing her fantasy made Keiichi sad. If she were a human, she would be able to do all this every single day. And yet, as a demon, she was forced to sleep on the uncomfortable floor and eat once every month. It wasn't something that she enjoyed in the slightest. "You would be able to do all of that every single day. A-And you would be able to go to the game stores and buy a whole bunch of different games to play with your rival. You said you wanted one, didn't you?"

She nodded. "I would like to meet someone as competitive as me in games."

He looked down. "A-And then you could eat all the meat you wanted at a restaurant… and after you've stuffed yourself full… y-you'd be able to sleep in the cozy futon right next to your sister, like you wanted to…" His voice was beginning to crack up a little. The thought of the two demons being unable to do such a thing was starting to shake up his emotions. He just felt so terrible for the two demons.

The demons blinked at him when they realized that he was starting to cry a little. Since they didn't know what sadness was, even though they were clearly suffering from being unable to have human rights, they found the sight very odd. "A-And you could do your sword fighting whenever you wanted to! Y… Y… You could train against a really good rival and y-you could show off just how good you were." He looked down at the ground, where his tears were currently beginning to stain.

"Haha… I'm sure you'd love to meet other people. Maybe you'd get to know your mother… and unlike what Yasuo said, I'm sure she'd love you and treat you like angels…" he told them, clenching his fists as if to prevent all of his emotions from pouring out at once.

He then looked up at them. There was pain in their eyes from hearing such words. There was too much pain, way too much pain. It hurt them to listen to Keiichi, knowing what could be.

"And what about a name? What's it like to have a name instead of a number?" she asked him.

Having a name was never something Keiichi thought as a privilege. Everybody had a name aside from the demons. He didn't know how to explain it to them, so instead, he began to ramble on with the idea of what things would be like if they were human. "Haha… yeah, you'd have a name like me, too. You wouldn't be Number Twenty-Seven or Number Twenty-Eight… you would have a human name. I'm not sure what those names would be… but… but… you'd have one."

"I'd like a name," Number Twenty-Seven whispered, though Keiichi caught it. "It would be… nice…"

That did it for him. Those words were enough for Keiichi to snap out of his fantasies of what it would be like for them if they were human. With those words, he realized he needed to stop fantasizing and take action. He couldn't just imagine what things were like, he realized he needed to make it a reality. He needed to end their suffering there. After all, didn't he resolve to teach them emotions and end their suffering? He clenched his fists, wearing a new look on his face, one filled with confidence. All this time, he had listened to them about how their life had been and felt sorry for them. He visited them, and he spoke to them. But he never actually did anything.

That would end now.

Keiichi zipped his bag open and pulled out the slab of meat and slipped it between the bars. As soon as they saw the meat, they jumped with excitement and pounced on it, digging their fangs into it excitedly. He had already done this before, but it was a step forward to do it again. That was the least he could do. …However… it was only the least he could do _for now._ He had a resolve in mind, a strong one. He would stop this talking and thinking about what it would be like for them if they were free.

Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. He would find the key to their cell and free them tomorrow. He wasn't quite sure how he would sneak past the guards, but he would come up with something. After all, they just needed to be free.

And when they were free… he would make them take their steps towards recognizing their emotions.

After all, releasing them was only the first step towards such a goal.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2:**

**Okay, so this chapter was completed a day ago, and Chapter 13 is about halfway done. So far, it has 6,300 words and I plan it to be a little longer. …I'm trying to spread out updates, which is why I didn't update yet. You know, so that you can actually get updates on the weekdays, when I can't really write due to… school. *Throws up*. But I'm sure you guys will like the next chapter. I kind of like how it's going so far.**

**Well, I don't really have much to say here besides the fact that I'm dreading the idea of walking into school tomorrow. I'd rather stay here all day and write, eat, sleep, play computer, read Higurashi, play games… but no. Sadly, that's not how life works. I have things to do, and I don't know when I'll get the next chapter done, as it's only halfway done at the moment. So please hang on as I figure things out. It may take a little while, so excuse me if that's the case. Life has just been a little complicated. It probably has for all of us, actually. My mom has been pressuring me to get As in everything, and really, it doesn't help. It just makes me feel even more stressed, if anything.**

**Thank you.**

**Please review as usual. Reviewers can get a model of the Sonozaki collars. You know, the ones with the spikes and all that. People who point out typos, as a bonus, can get any kind of dessert they want. I'd go for an ice cream sundae if I were you. You can't go wrong with one of those. I'd suggest vanilla with hot fudge. My favorite kind of ice cream is strawberry, though. I think that chocolate ice cream is overrated, but chocolate itself is the way to go.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: Excuse my rambling. If you're new with me and my fanfictions, this happens _often_. (Note: Understatement)**


	14. Chapter 13: A New Life

**Crimso's Notes:**

**Okay, so at the time of writing this, chapter twelve has not been uploaded. Why? …I actually don't know. I just want to get a head start on this chapter before I go ahead and upload the next, and I think it would be better to give you a little gap between chapters. Better to have them spread out than all at once, I suppose.**

**One: I'm going to try to pick up the pace, while at the same time figure out where I'm going. I think I'm less busy than I say I am. …Sometimes, I just have other non-important things to do, which are actually kind of important… I actually think it may be better for me just to slow down while I figure things out.**

**Two: This chapter is freaking important.**

**Three: Get ready for the turning point in BFB.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 13: A New Life**

It was after school the day after Keiichi had resolved to save the twins, and Keiichi had found himself walking behind Takeru as they headed to the great Sonozaki Manor. Keiichi was now considered a frequent visitor there, though he had to admit that the only reason he really went was to check up on Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, and not to be with Takeru. He felt bad, but he had Takeru to talk to at school along with everyone else. And besides, today was the day he was going to launch his plan, a plan that he had spent all night thinking up of.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to come, even though you'll have to leave before my work is done?" Takeru asked him as he walked along the dusty paths of Onigafuchi. "We usually get to spend some time together after my training has ended. Now, you're saying you have to go home before then. We'll only get to spend a bit of time together."

Keiichi shrugged. "As I said before, it doesn't matter. Your house is ten times cooler than my old house. I mean, you have a freaking forest as a garden as well as a mansion that might as well house thirty people!" he cried out as he followed his best friend down the path. "Besides, I think it would be more fun than waiting around to do work for my parents. They said to be home by five from their trip, which I can manage."

"Well, I can see your point there. I'm supposing you'll just talk to my parents," he replied. "Do you really like them all that much? I think it's boring to be around my parents. Not that I dislike them. It's just that… they're my parents."

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "I can see where you're coming from. But your parents love you," he told him. "They're really happy to have you, after all, after what happened with their previous children…"

Takeru stiffened, and it was clear to Keiichi that the subject of his sisters was one that made him feel uncomfortable. Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight had told him that Takeru had been down there several times and had seen them. It was possible that he just didn't know that they were his sisters, but really, that seemed unlikely. They were identical twins with green hair and green eyes very close to their mother's, and they resembled her quite a bit. Green hair was something only the Sonozaki family had. It would be too obvious to anyone if they saw them that they were the twins who were supposed to be dead.

"Ah, I'm sorry," he replied. "It must be terrible, knowing that you had two older siblings that died."

Takeru nodded robotically. "I suppose so. Though please, it would be better if you didn't talk about my dead sist-… siblings. They're dead now," he responded.

Unfortunately for Takeru, Keiichi caught his little slip up there. Akane had told him that she didn't know the gender of her twins as they were taken from her before she even got to see them once, so Takeru shouldn't know that the twins were female. It just added on to the evidence that he knew who the twins were, and just wasn't telling anyone about it. He wondered why he would do that, but when he thought back to why he decided not to tell Akane about them, he understood. Akane might be horrified to find out that her young twins were turned into ferocious demons and might be infuriated when she found out they had been suffering all their lives.

He pretended he didn't hear that, however, and moved on. "Oh, sorry again. I won't mention your twin si… blings again," he spoke. He too had almost called them his sisters, but he was able to catch himself before he finished his word, thankfully.

"Thank you," replied Takeru.

The two friends reached the gate of the Sonozaki Manor, and soon reached the manor itself. When they got inside, both of them instantly walked towards Takeru's room, and Keiichi automatically assumed that it was going to be as messy as the last time he went. There was always the chance that he decided to pick up a little bit after he had left the other day, and Keiichi wondered if Takeru actually decided to do so. He didn't seem like the type to be so lazy that he wouldn't bother picking anything up after a long while, after all.

Unfortunately, Keiichi was proved wrong as he once again saw that Takeru's room was a complete and utter mess. He sighed, wondering why his mother didn't scold him for not picking up a thing. "Takeru, have you ever considered cleaning the place up?" he asked him in a joking manner, so that he wouldn't offend his friend with his words.

Takeru grinned at him. "I picked up last night. But then it got ruined again this morning," he told him.

That statement made Keiichi wonder just what he had been doing in the morning, and how it was possible to once again make such a mess. His friends were so strange at times. "Ah well, I think you should try again, and actually make an effort to make it stay clean. You know, like most people do," he suggested.

He shrugged. "Maybe someday. But I don't want to talk about boring things like cleaning up. Let's talk about something fun."

The two boys sat down on top of Takeru's futon, away from the piles of paper and homework that was thrown about. Keiichi could see the homework assignment that he was supposed to turn into that day on the floor, which he had told his teacher that he couldn't find. His nightwear from the night before had been tossed into a corner of the room carelessly, and the clothing drawers of his dresser were all the way pulled out with clothing inside, clothing that he had cleaned up from the floor before. Unfortunately, the clothing wasn't folded and everything was a complete mess. It seemed to him that he had just tossed it in without bothering to do so.

Keiichi sighed, trying to ignore it. "Like what?"

Takeru grinned. "Like girls. Now there's an interesting topic!" he declared loudly. "Did you hear the pick-up line I used on Rena the other day? I think it was genius!"

Keiichi narrowed his eyes. "You mean the cheesy one that you got out of some horribly written romance manga?" he asked him.

Takeru grinned nervously. "Of course. But it works better when I use it, you see, because I'm a handsome dude, unlike that guy." He then narrowed his eyes at Keiichi, observing him closely. "Hey, I think it would work if you used it to. Got a girl that you have your eyes on?"

"There aren't any other girls here aside from Rena, and you know that I'm leaving her for you," he responded. Having a crush on the girl his best friend liked wasn't a very good idea. He had read many books where such a thing happened, and it never ended well. Besides, Rena didn't really seem to be his type, anyways. "So no, I don't have a girl that I like…"

"How about Satoko? Or Rika?" he suggested. When Keiichi shot him a look of horrification for suggesting that he was some kind of pedophile, Takeru just laughed. "Oh, don't be that way. They can still be beautiful to some people even if they're little kids."

Keiichi looked horrified. "They're cute girls, but that's because they're… what, nine? I wouldn't ever date a nine-year-old girl!" he protested.

Takeru laughed at him. "Oh, well some people like little girls. I guess not you, then," he replied.

"Those some people being creepers and pedophiles," Keiichi reminded the boy.

Once again, Takeru broke out into a fit of laughter. "Oh, I know, I know. I was just teasing you, Keiichi!" he replied, a friendly smile on his face as he finished laughing. "I don't think that you would be the type of person to date a little girl. I don't think there's anyone like that in Onigafuchi, and I sure hope that would be the case."

Keiichi decided to smile back at him. He sure was glad that it was joke, because otherwise, he would be wondering if there was some part of him that made him seem like a pedophile. Had he done something to give off that impression in the past? If anything, Keiichi wanted to find a nice girl around his age. He wasn't sure what type of girl he would like to date, but he knew that he would find out once he found the one. Sure, there weren't any teenage girls aside from Rena, but it was possible that he could meet some.

Well, there was Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, but they weren't exactly human. Even though he believed that they should be treated as such, it might be a little weird to a human like him to date a demon. He hated thinking that way, though. He realized it made him sound no different from the people who fed demons once every month and trapped them in cages all their lives, so he decided to forget about the idea all together.

On the topic of Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, Keiichi was now wondering where Takeru kept that second key. Sure, the key to the basement was in the same drawer the whole time, but where in the world did he keep the key to Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight's cell? Judging by the fact that the key to the basement itself was in his room, he could assume that the key to the cell where the two twin demons were kept were in the very same room. It would be a challenge to find it through all the stuff that was thrown about the floor, but he had to do it. He couldn't turn back now that he had already made up his mind and planned everything out.

He wondered if they were sleeping together, curdled up next to each other like usual, in order to feel that warmth. He was sure that they were referring to the feeling they got, and not the room temperature. Also, he had figured out that that warm feeling was a feeling of love for each other. They had been together since birth, enduring pains that they had always received together. They both had a strong attachment to each other, but they couldn't understand the feeling that was binding them together. They just thought it was some kind of warm feeling, and that was it.

But today would be the day the first step was taken into changing them. He didn't know if it was possible to turn them into a human again, but he knew that he could at least teach them what it was like to be human. And today, he had decided on exactly what he would do for them. Every thing was already set in stone. He just had to wait for Takeru to go off for his training.

"My grandmother expects a lot of me sometimes," Takeru sighed. "I'm only fifteen. I feel like I have a lot of pressure on me sometimes."

Keiichi could understand where the boy was coming from. Being the heir of a huge family like the Sonozaki family could certainly put a lot of pressure on someone. He felt bad for him. He would never want to be the heir to a huge, messed up family that had strange traditions like killing twins at birth. If he were in any family but one of the three great ones, he would be wandering about Onigafuchi happy, following his two older sisters as they too explored the outside world.

"It must be tough. I'm sorry," was all he could say.

Takeru nodded. "Today, my grandmother is going to lecture me about controlling the money and all that stuff. How fun," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Really, it's not fun at all. I don't want to be the head of this family if it involves crap like money and economics. I'd much rather be the head for the title of it, you know? I'll go down in history books and all that!"

Keiichi laughed at him. "That's the good part, I suppose."

Takeru nodded. "That's the good part." He suddenly paused and turned his head to the clock. "Darn it, I have to go now. It was nice talking to you, and I suppose we won't be able to talk to each other again until tomorrow because of the things your dad wants you to come home for."

"Unfortunately, yeah," Keiichi replied. "So I suppose I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

"Right. Tomorrow at school," he said. "Well, I should be going now. See ya!" Takeru then got up from the futon and began to make his way towards the sliding door.

"Wait!" Keiichi called to him before he could walk out.

He turned around. "Yes?"

"Where are your parents right now? Are they in the same room as before?" he asked him, thinking back to the time where he had first met them and how they had the conversation about the twins, who were supposedly dead.

"Same room as where you first met them. It's the third room on the left when you go down the hallway. My dad isn't here today, but my mom is. Yasuo is out in town picking up a few things right now, so it'll just be her today," he explained to him.

Keiichi felt relief when he mentioned that Yasuo wasn't there. He may get suspicious of what he was about to do if he were there. "Thank you. Bye, Takeru!"

"Yeah, bye!"

He walked out of the sliding door, and closed it behind him. Keiichi sat there on the futon for a little bit, waiting for the boy's footsteps to disappear before he went to see his mom. It would be fine if just Akane were there to talk to today. She was the only person Keiichi needed to see at the moment. When his footsteps disappeared, Keiichi got up from the futon and walked towards the dresser. He instantly knew where the key to the basement was, but that wasn't the problem.

He pocketed the basement key and began frantically searching through his things for another key. There were so many papers within the dressers. He had to wonder how much paper he had with the ones in the dresser combined with the many sheets that were now scattered about the floor. With a sigh, he closed the drawer. The key wasn't in that one. He opened up another drawer and went through the many objects within. There were things like old toys in there that Takeru hadn't bothered to get rid of, but as Keiichi found, there was no key. He opened up the next one only to discover that that one contained no key either, and then proceeded to find out the same about the next one.

He sighed when he finished all the drawers, not finding a key in any of them. He began to go through the things on the floor, moving around the papers and other random items that were scattered about. He lifted up papers to look underneath them, only to find nothing. He looked in the many folders that he had on the ground, and even in his backpack, but there was still no key. He began to grow very frustrated. He couldn't give up here, when he had already brought everything he needed for the successful escape! Growling, he began to look through the pile of clothing Takeru had been wearing from the night before, wondering if it was anywhere in there. It wasn't there, either.

In frustration, Keiichi fell backwards onto Takeru's futon, grumbling a few words to himself. He had come all the way here only to find out that the key was lost. Perhaps Takeru or Yasuo knew where it was, but Keiichi hadn't the slightest clue. Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight were just going to have to wait, then. He shook his head when he thought of that. He couldn't let them suffer any longer! He had promised himself he would free them from what horrors they had been subjected to their entire lives. Now, he was just giving up! He wanted to go on, to find the key, but he just couldn't! In frustration, he punched the ground with his fist, his teeth gritted together.

And that's when he felt his fist come into contact with something underneath the futon. Curious, Keiichi lifted it up. And surely enough, underneath the futon was a shiny, silver key with the words "CELL #18" written on it. His whole body filled with joy and relief the moment he saw it, and in a matter of seconds, he had already snatched it up and pocketed it. He wasn't sure if the demons' cell was number eighteen, but that didn't matter. Why would he have the key to an empty cell just sitting there, anyways? It had to belong to Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight. It just had to.

With the two keys in his pocket, he grabbed his backpack and then he walked out of the room, shutting the sliding door behind him. He wore a grin on his face, knowing that he could go on with his plan. Of course, he also knew that the search for the key was just the beginning. It would be tricky getting Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight across the garden, especially when the two of them would be spending a lot of their time looking around it. The sight of it would intrigue them.

He came to the third room on the left, and he slid open the sliding door. It was the meeting room, and apparently Akane was in there. When the door opened, the green-haired woman who was inside instantly whipped around to see who it was, and she smiled when she recognized the brown-haired boy in front of her. "Ah, Keiichi. Have you come to see Takeru?"

Keiichi nodded. "Yeah, but he's at work now," he replied. "…May I talk with you?"

"Of course," she spoke. "Come sit down."

He did as she said and sat down across from her at the table. Akane was sipping hot tea, and it looked as if it had just been made. She placed it down on the table after taking a small sip and then focused her attention on the boy in front of her. "How's my son been doing at school? He doesn't tend to tell me very much."

"Ah, Takeru is fine," Keiichi responded, deciding to start up a little conversation before moving on to asking the question he needed to ask her. It would seem too strange otherwise. Besides, the topic of Takeru could lead to the topic of her two previous children. "You know how that guy is. He's always fooling around and all that, but we like him for it. He's nice to be around."

Akane smiled. "I'm glad. I was afraid that he was depressed or something and was trying to hide it from me. You know how you guys can be sometimes. I'm sure you hide things like that from your parents," she replied before taking another sip of her tea.

Keiichi stiffened as he thought of the memory of the model gun. A topic like that had brought back the memory from him. He hadn't told his parents about his suffering, and that was what led to him doing such a terrible thing. "Ah, yeah," he said, trying to shake the memory out of his head. "But nothing's wrong with him at all, so you shouldn't worry about a thing. He's still good old Takeru."

"Haha, Takeru hasn't changed much since he was a kid. He was such a cute little boy back then. He was always getting into trouble because he was so curious." She looked down into her cup of tea, remembering events of the past. "There was this time where one servant went down to check on the demons and he accidently left the door unlocked. Of course, little Takeru took it as an opportunity to go and explore."

"And I suppose he didn't like it very much down there. It must have been a little scary for him," he commented.

Akane shook her head. "He tried to help out… but he got into trouble with two of the demons, said one of the servants," she answered. "He was trying to play some game with them, and they apparently didn't take it too well. One of the servants said that it looked like he was teasing them. In any case, one of the demons got so mad that she scratched him really hard, right down his chest."

Keiichi winced. Demons claws were really sharp. It must have really hurt. "That sounds really painful," he commented, not sure of what else to say.

Akane sighed and nodded. "They took him up to me instantly, and he wouldn't stop crying. He kept insisting that he was only trying to play with him… but…" she swirled her cup of tea in her hand. "The servants said that it looked like the demons took offense to what he was doing. He still has a scar from it, too."

He had to wonder what Takeru had been trying to do with the demons. Was he just trying to play with them, or was he really trying to tease them? "Well, I don't think he's like that anymore. He doesn't go around doing such things," he joked. "But seriously, I think that you should tell him to go and clean his room."

As soon as the topic came up, Akane rubbed her temples. "I told him to clean up last night, which he did, but he managed to get it all messy again this morning. I don't know how he manages to do it, but I don't think that he really cares."

"I guess guys like me can be like that sometimes. I try to clean up as best as I can, sometimes," commented Keiichi.

"Sometimes, I wish I had a daughter," she murmured. "I mean, I love Takeru, but I think it would be better if he was born a girl. He's so much work sometimes that… argh." She paused. "Please don't tell him I said such a thing. I really do like him, and I've gotten used to having a son like him."

"I won't," he replied. Then, he said nothing for a little bit. He decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to ask his question and move on from the topic of Takeru. She was speaking of a similar subject, so it wouldn't be strange if he changed it now. "Uh… speaking of children… about the twins you had…"

She stiffened. "Yeah, what about my little ones?"

His heart broke when she called the twins her little ones. She still was attached to those two, even if she had never met them or seen them at all. "…I know this is going to be a painful and strange question, but… ahaha, I'm curious…"

"Ah, that's okay, go ahead and ask," she replied, though it was clear that the subject of the twins was a hard one for her. The idea of them still broke her heart. He couldn't imagine how terrible it would be for a mother to lose her child, and even worse, both of her children. She looked as if she was trying to hold back painful memories.

Keiichi felt bad for bring up such a topic, but it needed to be done. "…When you were still pregnant, did you… um… think of names for them? Just in case they ever lived."

Akane instantly nodded. "Of course I did. I was hoping that I would be able to protect my babies after they were born, but I failed and they were taken away from me. I actually planned out what I'd do and all that," she answered. She was looking down at the table, and it looked as if she was struggling with her emotions. "Of course, I never found out if they were boys or girls, or a boy and a girl. I never learned if they were fraternal twins or if they were even identical. I had a lot of names planned."

"Uh…" Keiichi was trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to without it sounding strange. "…Okay, so let's say that the twins you gave birth to were both girls, and that they were identical twins. What would you name them in that case?"

Akane was still looking down at the table, and she didn't answer for a little bit. "…If they were identical twin girls, I had my heart set on the names Mion and Shion. I would name the older one Mion, and the younger one Shion." She let out another sigh. "I would love to have little identical twin girls. It would be just so adorable. They would be so precious and sweet…" She placed a single finger on the table and began to trace the characters for their names out, and Keiichi watched her do so carefully. "You'd write their names like this, you see?"

_Mion and Shion._ Those were the true names of Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight. Those were the names they were supposed to have. Hearing Akane speak of the idea of identical twin girls broke his heart, especially since she really did have two identical twin girls that were both alive. At that moment, he really wanted to spill out the truth to her, to tell her that both of her little girls were still alive, but he just couldn't.

"Those are beautiful names," he commented.

Akane nodded. "Aren't they? I spent forever coming up with them. I think they're lovely names for little identical twin girls. Of course, my babies may have not been twin girls or identical. They could have been identical boys or fraternal girls, but I really had my heart set on those two names. I was hoping that I would give birth to little twin girls… but I guess it didn't matter in the end, huh? Because I couldn't save them…"

Keiichi clenched his fists. Hearing her talking only strengthened his resolve to give Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight the rights they deserved. Perhaps one day he would introduce them to Akane. How would she feel, then? Would she be scared of them, or would she be hurt to know that the Sonozaki family had taken away her children, only to turn them into demons instead of just allowing her to have them?

_Don't worry,_ Keiichi thought to himself, _I'm going to save your little girls…_

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," Keiichi told her.

She wiped her eyes, which were beginning to well up with tears. "Don't worry about a thing. It's completely fine," she replied. "Besides, I'm really happy with Takeru now, even if he's such a teenage boy at times. …After I had the twins, I didn't want to have another child ever again. It was just too painful. But since there was no one else to lead the Sonozaki family after my mother, I had no choice. I'm glad I decided to have him."

He could understand why she wouldn't want to have another child. The idea of having another child after losing two seemed tough. "Takeru is a good guy, and he's a great friend. I'm glad that you had him, too. I don't think that things would be right without him in our group of friends."

Akane smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way about my son…"

Keiichi looked to the clock on the side of the room. He didn't want to leave the conversation at such an awkward place, but he had to be home before his parents came home and he needed to grab the twins before anything else, as that was the reason why he had come to the Sonozaki Manor in the first place. "I'm sorry, but I have to be going now or my parents will be upset," he lied to her. In truth, he didn't need to be there for another hour or so, but he had to get running if he were to sneak the twins out and be home before the time his parents came back. He didn't actually have anything to do; he just didn't want his parents to see the twins. "But thank you for talking with me."

"You're welcome. And thank you for talking to me, too. I feel glad knowing that my son is fine, and I like to know what people think about him," she said before taking another sip of her tea, which she hadn't done since she started speaking about her twins. "Farewell, Maebara Keiichi, and I really do hope you stop by again. My son enjoys your presence."

Keiichi smiled at her. "No problem, and you're welcome. Good bye," he said before he opened the sliding door and left. Now that he had the information he needed, he could move onwards with his plan. He clutched his backpack and placed a hand over his pocket containing the two keys he needed. Now was when the real part of the plan started, the part of the plan that would be much, much trickier than the previous parts.

He walked out of the Sonozaki Manor and across the garden, reaching the forest. He quickly opened up the steel doors when he got there, knowing that it would be the last time he had to do so. The twins would be free after this. He walked down the steps until he got to the wooden door, which he then opened without a problem. The twins said that they had used to guard that door, and that was the furthest they had been away from their cell.

_Today, that's going to change. Right here, and right now._

He couldn't wait any longer. He dashed through the rows of cells, wanting to tell the demons the news instantly. The moment that he got there, he would rip open the cage and set them both free. Of course, there was a lot more to that, like getting them out of the garden without being spotted, and then sneaking them into his house, but right now he had other things on his mind. Eventually, the boy came to the cell, only to find that both twins were still asleep, cuddling together as usual

Keiichi didn't hesitate. He took out the second key and stuck it in the lock. A sigh of relief was let out when he found that it fit in perfectly, and he twisted the key. A large clicking sound was heard as the door unlocked, followed by the creaking of the door as it was pulled right open.

One of the demons opened up her eyes, thinking nothing of the sound. But as soon as she spotted the boy there, standing in front of the open cage with a grin on his face, she shot up.

"Kei-chan?" Number Twenty-Seven said, her voice filled with shock. "What are you doing…?"

He gave her a grin. "Wake your sister up. We're getting the hell out of here, all three of us!"

"H-Huh?" was all she could say.

"You heard me right! We're all leaving this place, forever!" he told her once again.

Number Twenty-Seven's eyes went wide. As quickly as she could, she shook her sister awake, who grumbled. She clearly didn't like the idea of being woken up. She blinked her eyes open, gazing at her sister with clear exhaustion. "What is it, sis? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked her, seeing the shock and excitement in her twin's identical eyes.

She pointed to the open gate. Number Twenty-Eight followed her sister's finger until her gaze rested on the open door and the boy, and her eyes instantly shot open, not showing a sign of the exhaustion there was before.

"What's going on? !" she cried out.

"You guys are getting out of here!" he told them both. "I'm taking you both to my house, where you won't have orders and all that stuff! I'm freeing you!"

They both looked at him in disbelief. Were they really going to leave the cursed place that they had been bound to their entire lives? They looked at each other, not sure what to say.

"It's fine, no one like Yasuo is here to stop you. Now get out of the cell!" he told them both.

As soon as they said that, both of the twins scrambled out of their cell as fast as they could. They stood before Keiichi, finally being able to see him and talk to him without having those annoying bars in the way. Keiichi closed the door and locked it, sticking the key in his pocket with great speed. "Okay guys, sit down for a moment. We'll get out as soon as this is done."

They both looked confused, but they obeyed and sat down on the ground.

Keiichi threw his backpack on the ground and began to take out some of its contents. There was a piece of paper, a pen, and some tape. There were a few other things he had brought, but he kept those inside of it for now. The two demons stared at the materials, puzzled by them.

The boy ripped a small streak of paper off, and then another one about the same size. He cut off four strands of tape, and attached them to the dispenser for now. He brought his materials closer to the demons and sat right in front of Number Twenty-Seven, who was now trying to figure out what in the world her friend was planning to do with the things he brought. She couldn't make any sense of it at all.

Keiichi held up a strand of paper over the spot her number was engraved in, and then taped it over it. He took out his pen and slowly began to write on that piece of paper as he talked. "You know, I was speaking with your mother just a little bit ago. Yeah, you guys have a mother, just like I said before," he told her gently. "She said she always wanted a pair of identical twin girls like you. I feel so bad."

They said nothing.

"And she also told me something interesting," he said as he continued to write. Then, he capped the pen and moved towards Number Twenty-Eight and began to do the same exact thing to her. "Well, rather I asked her for some information and she gave me something interesting, but it's the same thing, right?" He finished whatever he was doing to Number Twenty-Eight's collar and capped the pen once again, throwing it back into his backpack along with the tape and the piece of paper.

He stood back and admired what he had done to their collars. It looked a little messy, but who cared? "There, all done! It's all perfect now."

The demons looked down at their collars, trying to read what had been placed on it.

"Do you like it?" Keiichi asked them both as they read what he had written on them. "You see, those are your names. You know, your real names. Not Number Twenty-Seven or Number Twenty-Eight or any of that. They're real, genuine human names. And they are your names," he explained to them both. "The interesting information was that mother told me what she would have named you, and those names are now written on your collars."

He turned to Number Twenty-Seven and pointed at her. "Number Twenty-Seven! From now on, you won't be Number Twenty-Seven anymore! Your name is Mion!" Then, he switched over to Number Twenty-Eight and pointed at her. "Number Twenty-Eight! From now on, you won't be Number Twenty-Eight anymore! Your name is Shion!"

Both twins looked at their names in wonder.

"Those are the names your mother wanted to give you, and judging by the fact that Mion had a lower number than Shion, I figured that she was older," he explained to them as the two of them admired what Keiichi had done to their collars. They both looked a little confused, but they didn't protest. They were too interested in what was written on their collars to even comment.

"Mion, Shion! Let's get out of here!" he told them both.

Neither of them moved.

"That's you guys! You're Mion and Shion now, not Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight!" he explained to them once again. "Do you not understand?"

"No," whispered the demon previously known as Number Twenty-Seven.

He paused for a moment. "Huh?"

"No," she repeated, touching the name that was now written on her collar. "I understand. It's just so… incredible… to have a name."

"Mion," he whispered. He could see clear happiness in her eyes, and it pained him to know that she didn't recognize that happiness. He allowed both of the twins to look at their names for a little bit more before he cleared his throat. "All right guys, we're going to move out now! Don't you want to see what the outside looks like?" he asked both of them, causing them to both turn their vision away from their collars and at him.

"Hold on one moment," the demon who had been Number Twenty-Eight before said, causing confusion to grow in Keiichi. She ran over to another room that was connected to the demon storage area, and disappeared in there for a little while. She then came out, carrying two rather heavy sheathed katanas. She attached one to her back, and then handed the other to her sister.

"Just in case," she told the confused boy.

He blinked at them. Well, it made sense to want to have a katana with them, he supposed. "Well, with that done, do you think that we're ready to go?"

They both looked up at him with large grins on their faces, full with determination.

That was enough for Keiichi to know that they would be coming with him. He gestured for them to follow him as he walked down the rows of empty cells. There were now no more demons inhabiting the Sonozaki Basement. Sure, they would be surprised when they found out about the disappearance of their only two demons, but he knew for a fact that they wouldn't be able to find out it was him. They both were chattering to each other excitedly as they talked about what they may see outside.

"Now, we're going to have to sneak past the servants, so there's no time to pause and look around. You can look about as we go along, though, understand?" He knew that they would be disappointed to hear this, but there was no way around it. "I promise you two that after we get out of here and to my house, I'll allow you to look around a little more. What matters right now, though, is that we don't get caught. You'll be sent back here and I may be executed, and then you won't ever get to see the outside."

They seemed to accept this explanation, even if they were excited to get their first look at the outside world. If they didn't, then they wouldn't ever get to experience the luxuries of the outside world. Soon enough, the trio reached the wooden doors, and Keiichi pushed them open. They began to climb up the stairs as the twin demons commented on how they hadn't ever been further than the entrance to the area of the basement where the demons were kept. This was their first step into a world they didn't know about, a world they hadn't been able to picture.

Keiichi stood there in front of the steel doors, ready to burst them open. He knew the moment he did would be a significant moment in the twin demons' lives. They were waiting eagerly, both of them wanting to know what could possibly be on the other side.

"I wonder what it's like," commented Shion as she looked at the metal doors.

"I bet it's beautiful, unlike this old basement," replied Mion as she too braced herself for what was to come.

"Me too, sis, me too…"

And them Keiichi opened up the meal doors, allowing the twins to experience their first rays of sunlight. It was very bright to their eyes, as they had been in the dark basement for all of their lives. Instantly, they ran out into the open world, wanting nothing more than to leave their old home forever. Keiichi was shocked by their speed. He figured it was okay, as no one ever entered the forest except to check on the demons.

Mion and Shion were now observing their surroundings, their eyes wide with excitement. All the colors around them contrasted heavily to the dull basement, and to their eyes, it was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. The outside world hit them hard, like an explosion. He could see the excitement and wonder in their eyes as they looked about, and their smiles as the warm rays of bright sun hit their bodies for the very first time.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked them both as he walked over to them, standing in between the two twins.

"It's…" started Mion in awe as her curious green eyes continued to glance around her. "…It's just so beautiful… I never imagined it to be like this…"

Shion pointed to the sun in the sky. "Hey, sis? Didn't he tell us that this was the sun, and that it lit up the whole planet?" she recalled.

Mion nodded. "Yeah, and it goes down at night. Then you can see the moon, and the moon is silver."

Keiichi chuckled at the two of them. They truly were enjoying the sight before him, and it broke his heart to have to move them forwards. Of course, they would enjoy the garden, but they really needed to rush through it right now. There were probably several servants gardening, and such a thing could become a problem.

He stuck his hands into his pockets and threw the keys on the forest floor. The Sonozaki family wouldn't need them anymore, after all. Besides, they would figure out that someone had broken into the Sonozaki storage with or without the keys lying about, so why did it matter? They would never know it was him, after all. Keiichi began to walk onwards with the twins closely behind him. He peaked his head out of the forest, observing the servants that were currently working on the garden. There were around three of them at the moment. They were all tending to the flowers in various areas of the garden.

"Okay, so get down low to the grass," he told them both. "…That's the green stuff on the floor, remember?" he reminded them when they both shot him a rather confused look. They nodded as they pressed their bodies to the ground. Their green hair blended in quite nicely with the green color of the grass, even if it was just a little lighter. The grass was long enough to conceal their bodies, for the most part. "And I bet if you crawl slowly, very slowly, you can reach the gate over there. I'll stand up. There's no reason for me to hide, as I'm a human, and my brown hair won't go well with the green grass."  
>And so, they began their plan.<p>

The twins crawled through the long grass very slowly, with their stomachs touching the dirt. It was probably staining their bright white kimonos, but he couldn't worry about such a thing right now. He strolled leisurely through the grass, hoping that not one of the servants would suspect a thing. They seemed really interested in their work, anyways, so what did it matter? He would surely be able to make it by. If the twins were caught, however, it would be quite alarming. The servants may know about Akane's story, and if they were to see two identical twins with bright green hair similar to their mother's, they would instantly know who they were. Of course, there was about a ten percent chance that if they knew, they may think it was just a strange coincidence, and then there was a high chance that they just didn't know about the twins in the first place. Even so, the collars would probably give it away. It wasn't every day that you saw a human wearing a spiked collar, after all.

They went by the first servant without her noticing a thing. She seemed to be too interested in finishing her job well, anyways. The twins were doing a good job of trying not to run around everywhere asking what things were, and were instead focusing on escaping through the gate. They knew that the moment they were caught would be the moment they would go back to the cell forever. And if they were to be caught, it would become obvious that he was the one trying to get them out of their cells. He gulped as he remembered the fate of the man who tried to steal a demon, now known as Number Fifty-One. He had to stop himself from shuddering when he thought back to the time where he had tried to attack Satoko. He was attacking like just another demon, threatening to kill him and obeying orders. He didn't seem like the way he was before.

_If I were to be caught… would they turn me into a demon, or would they just kill me? _

He wondered what it would be like as a demon. Seeing as he attempted to steal from the Sonozaki family, it was likely that he would be kept with Mion and Shion and treated just like him. Perhaps in a few days he would forget about the outside and forget about the emotions he used to have. He didn't want such a thing to happen, ever. _So I have to make sure I can get this done without being caught. If I can… then… Mion and Shion can finally get the happiness they deserve. _

"Hey, sis, did you see that thing over there?" whispered Shion.

"Huh, what thing?" replied Mion.

"The thing that was orange. That lady was pouring water on it," she whispered right back as she paused to take a look at the orange thing, which was a rather brightly colored flower. Mion raised her head a little to take a look at it, causing her whole face to become visible.

An alarm went off in Keiichi's mind the moment she did such a thing. He felt bad for having to stop her from doing it, but he had no choice at the moment. He would be sure to show her all the beautiful flowers back at home, where everything was safe. "Mion!" he reminded at her quietly, causing the girl to remember what she was supposed to be doing. She placed her head back down in the grass, hoping that the servant hadn't seen the commotion.

She looked up from her work, and raised an eyebrow at Keiichi. She recognized him, as he had been to the Sonozaki Manor many times before, but she was sure she had heard him say something to someone, though rather quietly. He simply smiled at her, hoping that she would look away and that she wouldn't notice the twins.

She sighed and went back to her work, causing relief to build up in Keiichi. As they began to walk further, however, the servant looked up at him again, her eyes narrowed. She slowly focused her eyes downwards, noticing something funny about the texture of the green grass.

Keiichi jumped, causing Mion and Shion to realize something had gone wrong. They ducked their heads down further, hoping that the grass would conceal them further that way. "Sorry to disturb you. I'm just walking home," he told her. The servant mumbled something after nodding in understanding, and then went back to her work, this time not bothering to look up again. Keiichi sighed with relief.

They continued to sneak through the grass. They had gone by two of the servants, and they were hoping the third wouldn't notice. The two twins began to crawl a little faster, though they were getting tired. Keiichi sighed when he noticed this. It couldn't be helped, could it? He tried to walk faster as he went by the third servant, who didn't seem to notice them at all, thankfully, with Mion and Shion struggling a little behind.

A little after they went by the three servants, Keiichi noticed the tall grass was beginning to get shorter and shorter. Glancing at the distance they had from the gate, he realized that it was possible to get away without being seen. He held up a hand to tell the twins to stop moving, which they did, and he then walked over to the gate. He opened it and turned to the twins.

"Run," he mouthed.

And so they did.

The demons sprung up and ran for the gate as fast as their legs could take them, while Keiichi began to eye the servants nervously. Would they see them? They dashed by him in a flurry, wandering out onto the paths. They then went to the trees on the side of the path, hiding behind one of them. One of the servants looked up, seeing Keiichi holding the gate open for some strange reason, but he thankfully didn't see the twin demons, so he went back to his work, wondering what could have made a sound so similar to running feet.

Keiichi closed the gate and ran over to Mion and Shion, who were now poking their heads out to get a look. They had gotten so far away from their basement, the place where they used to live. This was something that was totally new for them, something completely different. They both looked at each other with more excitement in their eyes. They had never thought that they would be able to leave the basement. And now, here they were, a long way away from the basement, even outside of Sonozaki property.

"All right, guys. This isn't the end. Let's run through the trees and get to my house."

They nodded and begun to do so. Keiichi was in front of them, eyeing the roads carefully so that no one would catch them. He was also making sure that they were on the right way. They would have to leave the trees and dash through the opening eventually, but usually people weren't around his area at this time of day. Most people were near the Furude Shrine or shopping over in Okinomiya. He hoped that his parents wouldn't come home early, and that he had enough time to sneak them up to his room. That was where he decided they'd stay for a while. He didn't know quite where in his room, but he would figure that out later. What mattered right now is that he got the twins safely to his house.

He went by about three people as he went through the trees, but none of them seemed to notice him. Eventually, he came to the point where he would just have to run out in the open. He gulped, knowing there wasn't anything he could do besides run for it and hope that no one saw him or Mion and Shion. He looked at them both, and they were staring at the road with determination in their eyes. It seemed to him that they had already figured out what they needed to do, and Keiichi just shot them a reassuring grin.

"All right, guys. Follow me, but be as fast as you can," he told them both.

And then, he ran for it. He could feel his feet hitting the dusty paths, sending up clouds of dust as they did so, creating a storm of dust when combined with how fast the twins were running. They were both trying to go as fast as they possibly could, though the weight of the katanas on their backs was weighing them down a little bit. _I guess it's good for them to keep weapons with them. After all, Number Twenty-Sev… no, Mion said that she was great with sword fighting. Heh, I'd love to see her fight!_

He could have sworn he saw someone in the distance, which caused him to quicken his pace as much as he could. When the two demons noticed this, they tried to do so as well. The Maebara house was now in sight, and Keiichi didn't see a sign of his parents there. "That's my house! That's our destination!" he cried to them both as he desperately tried to move forward. He was getting tired, but he knew he couldn't give up now. He was so close!

He dashed to the front of his house and whipped out his keys from his bag as fast as he could, opening the door within seconds. He practically threw it open and rushed Mion and Shion inside, sensing that no one else was inside the house. He slammed the door shut as soon as they got inside, and he leaned against it. He was panting, and he was sweating more than he had ever sweated before. _I really, really hope that no one saw us. It would be just terrible if they did…_

But that wasn't something to be concerned about now. "…Haha… we made it…" he spoke, whispering at first. "WE MADE IT!" he then bellowed out with excitement. His plan was a success. He had saved the twins.

Mion grinned as she looked about the house. It was much different from any place she had been indoors. Of course, the only place she had been indoors was the dark basement of the Sonozaki family, so it was obvious that she was shocked by how different it was. There were a whole bunch of objects scattered about that he didn't know, and curiosity was beginning to get the best of them. "Follow me, I'll show you guys the place that you are going to be staying in," he told them both.

He led the two of them up the stairs and into his room, allowing them to enter before he did. They set their katanas down and began to glance about at the many things contained inside. He had a lot of stuff, though Keiichi tried his best to make it as neat as possible so that it didn't turn out to look anything like Takeru's room. If that happened, it would surely be a disaster. "Feel free to look around. It's a lot more comfortable than that old basement you were in," he told them. As they began to explore, Keiichi opened a door to his closet and pulled out an extra futon. He only had one, but judging by the fact that the two twins preferred to sleep next to each other, he figured that they wouldn't mind. He put it out on the floor next to his own.

"You see, this is a futon," he explained to the two demons that were now gazing at it curiously. "It's where you guys sleep. It's really comfortable and all that, but it might be a little small for you guys. I'm sorry if that's the ca-."

Suddenly, the demons dashed for it. Mion threw the covers up and over herself, snuggling into the warmth of the blankets. Shion followed her, cuddling up against her sister. It was a rather small futon, so it was a little hard for them to both fit on it, and they were squished together, but it looked like they didn't mind one bit. He was taken aback by their immediate response, but he figured it was only to be expected of them.

"This is so much better than that old basement floor," Mion said as she hugged her sister.

Shion nodded. "I like this a lot better. Thank you, Maebara Keiichi," she replied as she snuggled closer into her sister.

"You can just call me Kei-chan, like Mion does," he told her with a wink. Maebara Keiichi sounded too odd at this point in time, considering the fact that they had gotten to know him well.

"All right, Kei-chan. Well thank you, Kei-chan. …I don't think that after feeling how comfortable this is that I could even bare to sleep on the hard floor," she replied. She was clearly enjoying the fluffiness of the sheets around her. He could only imagine how much more comfortable she felt. He would never want to sleep on a hard floor like the one in the basement, not ever.

"You're welcome," he whispered as he gazed upon the two demons. They were identical without a single flaw, and the sight of them so close together was shocking to the eye. They looked perfectly symmetrical at that moment, with their bodies snuggled close together.

Shion closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. It seemed to him that she would be getting a lot more sleep now with a much more comfortable bed. However, Mion stayed awake for a little while longer, looking at Keiichi with a smile on her face while she held her sister close. "Thank you, Kei-chan, really. I knew that you would save us. I knew it from the moment I first met you that you were different, that you would let my sister and I free from that basement. You've really done more than I expected," she told him gently.

Keiichi smiled back at her. "It was my goal from the moment I first laid my eyes on you, too. I knew that I couldn't leave you guys in the basement like that. That would just be cruel," he told her gently, staring at her. Her smile made him feel really happy, even if she didn't know what the expression on her face meant. Seeing such a thing reminded Keiichi of the fact that he was not done yet. No, he was far from being done here.

Mion fell asleep shortly after, exhausted from having run so fast. Today was a day of thrill for them both. They had been saved from the clutches of their basement, they had seen the outside world for the first time, they had gotten their true names, and they had finally gotten the chance to sleep in a real bed. However, he knew that there was much more he needed to do. He wasn't halfway done. After all, Mion and Shion still were unaware of their own emotions. Getting them to recognize the fact that they existed was high on his list.

_That's one thing that's stopping their happiness._ He thought to himself as he gazed upon the identical girls. He needed to teach them the way to learn, the way to their emotions. It was impossible for them to be fully human until they did. However, judging by how they had been acting before, it would be tough. His explanation of love hardly did anything for them, and if he couldn't explain such a simple thing, how was he going to explain happiness and sadness to them? He sighed. There was so much more for him to do. It was a heavy task, but he knew he had to go through with it.

After all, he wanted them to be happy.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner v.2**

_**CLEARING UP CONFUSION THAT MAY BE PRESENT: Mion is the Mion that is currently Mion in the series and Shion is the Shion that is Currently Shion in the series. Keiichi assumed Number Twenty-Seven was older because of her number. He was wrong. Does this make sense to you? Twin swaps are the most confusing thing in Higurashi, after all..**_

**Phew! Now that was the longest chapter I have written of BFB yet, but I highly doubt I can beat chapter twenty-six of Green-Eyed Demon in terms of length. That chapter was fifteen thousand words long! That's quite a bit, you know. It's hard to write ten thousand words. It's tiring at times. I'm surprised it even got to be this length, but I'm happy with it. I may wait until a little later to upload this, actually. Not that it matters to you, really, as it's clearly uploaded if you're reading this now.**

**Man, today was crazy. I felt sick, so I slept in until the end of first period. Then, I went to school and stayed in my second and third period. I went to the Nurse's Office after that instead of English, since I was feeling kind of sick. They told me to lie down, and then after fifty minutes, they told me to get back to class. I was still feeling pretty bad, too. Sigh. Then it turns out I had an in-class essay in English class that I forgot about. CRAP. **

**Yeah, now it's going to be hard to figure out when to write that AND my history essay that we were working on in class. Sigh. Life has been busy for me, as you can see. I wish things would calm down a bit, but there's really nothing I can do about that. I'm surprised I managed to write up this chapter. I was working on it all night last night, and since I got home. It's 6:06 PM right now. …Yeah, that took a little while.**

**Okay, this is getting way too long, so I'm going to tell you right now to review! Why? Because when you review, you get a plushie Mion. **_**And you want a plushie Mion. **_**Seriously, think of all the things you can do with a plushie Mion. You could place her next to Keiichi and then pretend to make them do romantic things, for one. I think I've been getting a little better with typos, but if you point any out, you can get a fake katana. …Don't worry, there may be a real one coming out in future chapters : P. Please tell me what you thought and all that!**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: ...100,000 words get? I think so, at least. That was my goal. Have 100,000 words by chapter thirteen. Why? Because Chapter Thirteen in Green-Eyed Demon (Titled Envy) was the chapter where I hit 100,00 words. They were also huge turning points in the series. **


	15. Chapter 14: Theories

**Crimso's Notes**

**This is the second chapter I've started after taking a Spanish Test. …Gee, I have a similar feeling. I think I did well, but knowing my luck with Spanish, I probably failed… again. I mean, I didn't fail the last test. I got like a B or something, but still. I've never ever, ever gotten an A or an A- on a Spanish Test. Why? …I just suck at Spanish. There are just some subjects you can never do well in. It's Spanish for me, of course. I would rather not take it, but a language class is required at my school and... well... I can't switch. I would probably chose Spanish if I had another chance to change, though. **

**Note one: Once again, I don't think that updates on weekdays will be common. I think the weekend is the time for me to write. Well, Friday also. So Friday + Weekends are my update days… for the most part. Sometimes Sundays, like when this was updated.**

**Note two: So, I believe things will move slowly from here in terms of pacing of the story. I need to figure out when the action comes into play, as my plans for chapters one through nineteen got a little messed up with some additional details added after I wrote the plans. Plus a lot of the chapters were just… unnecessary. **

**Note Three: FYI, Yasuo is Mion's Father's brother, not Akane's. **

**Note Four: FILLER CHAPTER! Yeah, sorry I took a week to post a filler chapter .-. . You guys were probably expecting more from me.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 14: Theories **

Darkness was spreading across all of Onigafuchi, and it would soon be time for all of the villagers to turn out their lights and fall asleep in their soft futons. However, things were a little different at the Sonozaki Manor. Servants were doing their end of the day chores, and the actual members of the family were busy doing any tasks they needed to do involving the actual status of the family.

That's why Oryou wasn't all that surprised when Yasuo walked into her room moments before she planned to go to sleep. He was probably there to give her a quick status report on the two remaining demons that the Sonozaki family kept, or try to convince her to buy yet another demon. Every time he brought up the suggestion, however, she quickly shot it down. There was no reason for any more demons.

"Oryou-sama," spoke Yasuo, stepping into the room. "I have some news to share with you."

"What is it, Yasuo?" she asked him in her usual harsh tone, not even bothering to look at him. She wasn't expecting anything of his report. If anything, it probably was some unnecessary information.

She noticed that Yasuo was fidgeting a little, something that was unlike him. Usually, he stood proud and confident and did not show any signs of being nervous, not even around the great Sonozaki Oryou. His behavior caused her to grow rather curious, though she said nothing. He was having a hard time trying to spit the words out of his mouth, which caused her to grow a little irritated. "Just spit it out all ready, Yasuo! What's wrong? Did a demon scratch you again? You want to buy another one? Just tell me!" she yelled at him.

Yasuo jumped. "Er… about Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight. They've… well… um…"

"Yes?" grumbled Oryou.

"…Ahaha… they're gone…" Yasuo told her, his voice a little shaky and rather quiet for a man like him.

Silence followed, but only for a few seconds. Oryou balled her fists up and stared at the man in front of her with eyes filled with enough fury to make a lion run away in fear. "What was that? !" she yelled at him, slamming her fist down on the floor.

Yasuo looked down. "I said that the twins have-."

"I know what you said!" she hissed. "I'm asking you how it happened, Yasuo!"

Yasuo was practically frozen to the ground. He found that he couldn't muster up enough strength to reply to her. Oryou was someone that you didn't want to make mad, ever. "I don't know, Oryou-sama. I couldn't find my keys this afternoon, and I managed to find them a few minutes before in front of the doors. And when I went down to check on the demons… they were gone…"

Oryou was not pleased, to say the very, very, very least. She looked as if someone had threatened to kill her rather than someone informing her that her demons had disappeared. And let's just say that Oryou was never very happy when someone threatened to kill her, nor was she the least bit scared. "Yasuo, what did I tell you about those two?" she growled at him.

"That they were special, since they were your granddaughters and that I should keep a close eye on them," he recalled.

"Exactly!" she replied, staring at him with eyes full of hatred. "And what did you do?"

"I… I… I let them escape…" he answered, though he knew that it wasn't really his fault they had escaped. Sure, he was responsible for them, but how would he know that someone would bother sneaking into the Sonozaki basement? Usually, people wanted the Kimiyoshi demons, as they were usually stronger than Sonozaki demons.

Oryou covered her face with her hands, murmuring to herself about what she was going to do about the situation.

"…May I ask you a question?" Yasuo spoke up.

"…Go ahead," she grumbled.

Yasuo looked down at his feet. "…Why… why did you kill all those demons?"

Oryou let out a large sigh as she removed her hand from her face to give the man in front of her a good look. "I do not know why people are so curious about this, as it the reason is exactly the same as I said it was. The demons are cursed, and we cannot go on living the way we do, Yasuo. When he was alive, Kenji told me that he thought that things would get violent in a few years or so. With dangerous creatures like demons being ruled over in this village, a war is not far ahead. I believe we must exterminate these demons before it comes to such a thing."

"…But you didn't kill _them_, Oryou-sama. You kept them _alive, _despite what the legends of Onigafuchi say," he told her.

"Indeed I did, Yasuo," sighed Oryou. "It's just proof that I have grown weak over these years, Yasuo. While such didn't prevent me from murdering the other demons, it has stopped me from killing those two _twice._" She looked off into the distance, recalling memories. "You know, Yasuo, when I came down there with the katana in my hand and the intent to kill in my mind, the idea of sparing any was completely ridiculous. I had made up my mind. When I ordered all the demons not to bother defending themselves, I still had the intent in mind. When I killed Kenji, I still did not change my mind. I didn't even change it when I slaughtered all the other demons." She paused. "But then, I got to the back cell."

Yasuo nodded, listening to what the old woman was telling him. He didn't know what to say, so he decided that he'd just keep his mouth shut.

"…Those two, they were hugging each other tightly and crying. There was fear in their eyes, and that fear only escalated when they looked at my katana that was raised above their heads. They did not try to resist, as I had ordered them not to. …And when I was about to bring it down, I looked into their eyes some more." She let out a large sigh. "I was weak, Yasuo. Those two… they were just so precious. They were my precious little granddaughters. …I couldn't do it, Yasuo… I couldn't do it. I wanted to bring that katana down upon their heads, but I could not muster up the strength to do so. My emotions had beaten me again. They had defeated this old woman for a second time."

He still didn't know what to say. "…I guess things were like that for you when you were going to kill them for the first time."

Oryou nodded. "The scene with me and the katana was reminiscent of me holding my hands above their necks after they were born. Before Akane could even get a glance at them, I ordered the servants to take them to the chamber. Akane kept begging me not to take her children away, but I refused to comply. I ignored her cries and walked down to the chamber with them, where they were placed on a small table. I really was going to kill them. …But something stopped me in my tracks. I wasn't sure what it was, but when I looked down upon them, something inside me stopped me. …They were my still my granddaughters, twins or not. I tried to ignore it, to strangle them anyways, but I still could not do so." She looked back down at the futon she was laying in. "The next thing I did was foolish. I didn't want people to know that I had broken a tradition of the Great Families, so I turned them into demons and had them locked up. …Such a poor decision. If the legend of the Hero of Onigafuchi is true, then I just lured Death himself into the village. Turning supposed evil into demons is just increasing their danger level. Perhaps I should have just given them back to Akane. She would have been so happy to see her little daughters…"

Yasuo wasn't sure what to say to her, really. He had been treating her granddaughters like pieces of crap for the last few years, even though Oryou had asked him to treat them well. He really did hate those twins with all his heart, but he couldn't say such a thing in front of Oryou. He just had to pretend to feel bad for her and the twins. "Weren't you considering doing so shortly after you murdered Kenji and the rest?"

"Indeed I was. I opened up their cages and I was ready to carry them out for Akane to see, but Takeru insisted that I didn't show them to her. He said he was concerned about what his mother would think, knowing what we had been doing to them all their lives. Thinking about it now, I fear to know what kind of wrath she would induce upon me when she found out. And perhaps she really would be scared of them," she answered.

Yasuo fidgeted slightly. "Maybe it was for the best, Oryou. Takeru was right when he said it would probably be better to keep them locked up. I'm also rather scared of Akane's reaction."

"Now that they've been stolen, though, someone is bound to find out about their true identities and their relation to Akane, and it won't be long until _she_ finds out what I have done to her children." She clenched her fist again, frustrated. "Yasuo, please find the two of them at all costs. It is important that we don't allow them to be found out. And when we find who stole them…"

"Kill them?" he finished.

Oryou nodded. "Yes, murder them in the most brutal way possible. Do not show them mercy."

All Yasuo could do was nod his head and bow to her. "Yes, of course, Oryou-sama."

**~~~~X~~~~**

Bright sunlight came through Keiichi's window, hitting him directly in the face and causing his blue eyes to slowly open up. He blinked once, twice, and then pulled himself up. He rubbed his eyes as he recalled events from the previous day, remembering the rush he felt when he ran across the open land to his house, all the while wondering if someone had seen him. They would instantly know that he had stolen the demons from their collars, as only Sonozaki demons wore collars with spikes on them.

He stretched as he stood up from his futon as he wondered what had happened to his parents. They were supposed to come home yesterday, and they never did come home. The brown-haired boy gave a glance to the futon that was next to him, taking a good look at the two green-haired girls cuddled together. They were sleeping peacefully, probably for the first time in their whole lives. The cold, hard floor of the Sonozaki basement probably wasn't any comforting for them to sleep on. Really, if anything, it had to hurt.

Grumbling, the boy stepped down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, only to find that both of his parents still hadn't returned. He was curious as to where they could be, naturally. Had there been some kind of delay as they were traveling back? _Though if that's true, that's probably a little more convenient for me. _Having his parents gone meant that he could allow the two twins to wander the house and go wherever they want instead of them being trapped in his room all day. Doing such a thing would be like what the Sonozaki family had been doing to them before, locking them up and not allowing them to go anywhere. Though he supposed there was a slight difference, as they had nothing to do in the basement, while his room was full of things that they would probably be interested in.

He opened up a cup of instant ramen and began to start heating up some water. Ramen wasn't something that he would like to eat in the morning, but with his parents missing, there was nothing he could eat aside from that. He was a terrible cook. After the water was heated, he poured it into the cup and waited for the ramen to cook a little.

When it was done, he began to eat it very slowly. His mind wasn't working right, just like how things usually were in the morning. He brought his chopsticks up to his mouth absentmindedly and chewed on some of the ramen. _I don't want to go to school. _Such was the only thought on his mind right now. School was only fun when he was talking to his friends. He chuckled a little when he compared this to his previous self, who only liked school for the work. Onigafuchi had really changed him in a short amount of time.

"Kei-chan?" a voice spoke.

Keiichi nearly spilled his ramen as he jumped in surprise. He whipped his head around and caught sight of two, bright green eyes staring at him curiously. "Mi… Shi...!" he cried out before glancing down at her collar. He sighed. "Sorry Mion, you scared me there," he commented, reading the name he had taped to her collar.

Mion had an apologetic look in her eye. "Sorry, we woke up and you weren't there."

"Where's Shion?" he asked her as he continued to eat his ramen, this time with his mind more awake.

"Oh, she's just looking around your place. I came to find you since you weren't there," she explained. Then, she looked down to the cup of ramen he was eating, her eyes wide. "What's that?" she asked, pointing her finger at the food as she stared at it curiously.

Keiichi looked down into his cup of ramen. "Ramen. It's a kind of food made out of dough, and it tastes pretty good," he informed her before he slurped up some more. After chewing and swallowing, he added on, "I don't know if you'd like it though, you demons seem to prefer meat to anything else." He paused. "I don't have any meat for you at the moment, but I'll pick up some after school today. My parents aren't here, so I guess it'll be okay for you two to wander about the house."

"Your parents?" Mion asked.

Keiichi nodded. "My mother and father. Everyone has a mother and a father, as I explained. They're the ones that make you. Your mother is the one that gives birth to you, however," he explained to the girl. Saying such a thing to a girl his age made his heart hurt. She should know these things. "You have them, too. As I said, I was speaking to your mother before. I haven't spoke to your father as much, but he seems to be a really nice guy."

Mion looked down at her feet. "What is my mother like?" she asked him.

When Keiichi glanced at her, he could see sorrow and pain in her eyes, though it was a little hard to see as she was currently looking down at the floor. She even looked a little bit lonely. "Your mother is a great person. She's very kind, and she misses you a lot." He looked down into his cup. "She never got to see you two, even after you were born. Heck, she doesn't even know what gender you guys were. But she told me she really wanted to have twin girls… how lucky she is, getting what she wants. I feel bad for her, though. She doesn't know you are still alive."

She said nothing in response for a few seconds, and Keiichi was about to change the subject, when she suddenly spoke out. "I'd like to meet her sometime," she replied.

"I hope you can meet her some time, too," Keiichi replied as he stirred his ramen absentmindedly. "She'd love you two so much… and yes, I know you don't know what that means, but keep that in your mind."

Mion nodded. "Got it."

Shion came down from the stairs moments later, staring at the two of them. It took a little bit before she walked up to the both of them. "What's that?" she asked as she approached the two of them, pointing to the cup of ramen.

Keiichi couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. Her sister had asked the same exact question just moments before. "Ah, your sister just asked me that! It's called ramen, they are noodles, which is a food made from dough. They come in different flavors, too," he explained to her. He pulled a noodle out with his chopsticks to show both of them, and they stared at it curiously. "As I said to Mion, I don't know if you would like it. I'm going to get some meat for you two after school."

Shion licked her lips.

"Until then, I have to ask for you two to remain in the house," he told them both. His heart sank a little when he had to break the news to them. He hated the idea of having to confine them, but he couldn't have people knowing about what he had done and their existence in general. "I know you two want to go outside, but for now you have to stay inside. When I come home from school, we'll go and play outside in a safe place. All right?"

Of course, the two of them looked quite disappointed by what they were being told. They had been looking forward to going outside soon, and it looked as if they had to wait a little bit. "I think I understand why," replied Shion. "It's because people can't know about us, right?"

"That's exactly it. I'm pretty sure most of the villagers are aware that your mother had you two and believe that you are dead," he told them. "Although you guys don't know this, you look quite a bit like your mother. They'll instantly know who you are the moment they see you and if Yasuo or the other Sonozaki find out that people know who you are… well, it's not going to be pretty." He winced as he envisioned himself restrained to the restraining board in front of the Furude Shrine, with many people watching as a demon raised a giant sword over his head… Keiichi gulped. "They're trying to prevent your mother from finding out that you're still alive."

They both looked at each other, a little bit sorrowful. Keiichi knew that Mion desperately wanted to meet her mother, and he was now assuming the same about Shion. Keiichi couldn't imagine what his life would be like if he never met his mother. There was so much she had done for him that there would be a giant hole in his life created if she hadn't been there for him. He opened his mouth to continue the conversation, but upon checking the time, he realized that he could be late for school if he didn't leave.

He pushed his ramen aside. "I have to go to school now, but I'll see you afterwards. Please remember what I said to you two," he told them both before grabbing his backpack, which had been placed in front of the door. "I promise that we'll go outside to play a little bit when I'm done, but for now, you can look out the window in my bedroom. …That's the clear thing in the wall in the room with the futon, by the way. Try not to be seen, though."

Keiichi slung his backpack over his shoulders, and the twins nodded at him. "Well then, see you two!"

He walked out of the door and into the open sunlight, breathing the fresh air. Today's school day was going to be interesting, he could already tell that. As he walked along the paths of Onigafuchi, he wondered what kind of commotion was going on at he Sonozaki Manor. They would surely be surprised to see that their only two demons had gone, leaving them without any demons at all. _It's all right, though. They won't know that it was me…_

Keiichi walked into school and sat down at his desk with a sigh. He was a little surprised to see that Satoko hadn't launched a trap for him, but upon further inspection, he noticed that what was supposed to be a trap for him ended up being launched on poor Rena. Her uniform was covered in ink, and there was a sorrowful expression on her face as she stared at it.

"Don't worry!" cried Takeru as he wrapped an arm around Rena's shoulders. "You're still beautiful, with or without a huge ink blot on your uniform!" He shot her a wink, just for an added bonus, though Rena didn't react all that much.

Keiichi got up from his seat and walked over to the two of them. "Satoko got you, eh, Rena?" he joked. "I guess her trap finally failed in the sense that it was meant for someone else."

Satoko crossed her arms and stomped a foot on the ground. "I did not fail, Keiichi-san! The point is that I made a good trap and it ended up working on someone! Even if you weren't the victim of this trap, it still worked." She looked a little angry, but just a little bit. "Never call one of my traps a failure, because you know what? All of my traps are just perfect!" she cried out before letting out one of her signature, shrill laughs.

Keiichi let a large, white grin spread out across his face. "Well, if you say so then, Trap Master Satoko!" he cried out.

Satoshi sighed. "Maybe you should tone it down a little bit sometimes, Satoko. Rena's going to have to have a stain on her shirt all day…" he told her gently.

Satoko rolled her eyes. "Who cares about a silly stain? It's just a stain!"

Satoshi shook his head. "Satoko…"

Rena interjected. "It's okay, I can live with a little ink on me for the rest of the day. It's only going to be until I get home anyways," she replied with a smile on her face. Really, it seemed as if it was impossible for Rena to get mad at anyone, or so Keiichi thought. "Your trap was excellent, Satoko!"

Satoko stuck out her chest with pride. "Thank you, Rena-san! As to be expected of me."

They all burst out into laughter after that remark.

"Ah, nothing like a good laugh to get rid of your troubles, if only just for a few seconds!" commented Takeru as he brushed a tear out of his eye, having formed from laughing too hard. "Seriously, Satoko, you're too funny at times!"

Satoko grinned, showing off her vampire fang. "Of course I am!"

However, Rena was a little troubled by what Takeru had said. "Is there something wrong, Takeru?" she asked him, a worried expression on her face. "You said something about forgetting your troubles by laughing for a while. Is there something bothering you or…?"

"Ahaha… yeah," replied Takeru. His expression suddenly grew serious, and as did the atmosphere after he did. The laughing stopped as they stared at him, wondering what in the world could be bothering him. It was unlike happy Takeru to be bothered by anything. "The truth is, two of our demons were stolen yesterday. I'm not sure at what time they were, but when Yasuo went to check up on them… the two demons were both gone."

"…That's a little strange," replied Rena instantly. "People always try to steal from the Kimiyoshi Manor, and not from you guys. Aren't the Kimiyoshi demons supposed to be extra-specially powerful or something like that?"

Takeru nodded, clenching his fists. "And that, Rena, is why I'm _sure_ that Kimiyoshi himself was the one who stole our demons!"

Satoshi's eyes went wide. "But you can't be serious when you say that, Takeru! Kimiyoshi has fifty-one demons, and that is enough! Why in the world would he want demons that are supposed to be less powerful than his own?" he pointed out to him, disbelief in his eyes. "It just doesn't seem to make any sense to me, aside from the whole fact that he stole from you instead! Maybe someone just decided to target you instead, since most people don't?" he suggested.

Takeru shook his head, a dark look in his eyes. "No. I know that it's him because he keeps begging me to sell those same two demons to him. He's been trying to get his grubby hands on the two of them for _years. _First, he was offering a hundred thousand yen, and then he added an extra hundred thousand, then he doubled that and added four demons for free as a bonus…" he sighed. "You get the point here. He was offering quite a bit, but I kept refusing him. So now he's gone off and stolen them!"

Rika suddenly piped up. "That does sound suspicious. Satoshi, Satoko and I were suspecting him of the children kidnappings before, but I don't think that's the case anymore. He had ordered a few of his demons to look out for the killers," she told them, recalling the time she, Satoshi, Satoko, and Keiichi had gone for a stroll.

Satoshi crossed his arms. "Perhaps the two subjects are related to each other," he suggested.

Keiichi tried not to make his nervousness show. He knew that he was the one that stole the demons, and that the subject of the children kidnappings and the stolen demons were not related. He didn't really like how they were calling his action "stealing" the demons. He preferred to call it saving them. "But if they were related to each other, why would they be related to each other?" he added in, trying not to look suspicious. "Are they trying to get all the demons in the village to kill all the children in the village for some reason?" He realized that his idea made absolutely no sense at all after speaking it.

"That's a little confusing, Keiichi-kun," murmured Rena.

"Whatever the case is with the children kidnappings, I'm sure that the stealing of our demons has to do with Kimiyoshi. Maybe he has to do with the kidnappings, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case despite what you said, Rika," he replied, glancing to the blue-haired girl by his side. "Maybe that whole order to look out for the kidnappers is a lie, and he just ordered the demons to not speak their true orders out loud."

Rika looked troubled. "But then why would the other demons stop Number Fifty-One from killing Satoko?"'

Satoshi stiffened at Rika's words. The idea of Satoko being killed or kidnapped by the kidnappers certainly wasn't something he was fond of, and it troubled him quite a bit. "…Maybe it was because Keiichi was with them at the time."

Takeru looked puzzled. "Wait, wait, please explain what happened to me," he requested.

Satoshi sighed. "Keiichi, Satoko, Rika-chan, Kaede, and I decided to take a little stroll through the woods. Along the way, Satoko bumped into Kimiyoshi Demon Number Fifty-One, who threatened to kill her. I threatened him for doing such a thing, but before I could take any actions, Kimiyoshi Demon Number Forty and Kimiyoshi Demon Number Thirty-Nine came and stopped him, saying that he had got the orders wrong and that they were supposed to be looking out for kidnappers and not killing anyone," he explained to the confused green-haired boy, who now looked as if he had some idea of what they were talking about.

"Well then, I can see why they'd lie. You were there with them, weren't you? They're not after people our age, they're after people who are as old as Satoko," Takeru commented as he stuffed his hands in his pants.

"That's just what I was thinking, Takeru," responded Satoshi. "Keiichi was with Satoko first, though. I came running while the two of them were there, but it really doesn't make a difference in the end, since we can apply that to Keiichi. He didn't want to kill Satoko because Keiichi was there."

"But hold on!" cried Satoko. "He threatened to kill Keiichi, too!"

Satoshi rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe because he saw what he was about to do to Satoko. You know, just to destroy the evidence. Number Forty and Number Thirty-Nine probably didn't want that, which is why they stopped him." He paused. "That could be a valid reason why Kimiyoshi is guilty of both crimes…"

Takeru nodded. "I think I'm going to have to have a long chat with this guy later," he growled. "I'll show him a piece of my mind... and that guy will have to give those demons back!" He clenched his fists, anger visible in his green eyes. Keiichi felt himself shudder. He couldn't imagine what would happen to him if Takeru found out that he was the one that stole the demons, and not Kimiyoshi. However, he tried the best not to let his fears show on his face. He decided that he would go along with the theory that Kimiyoshi did it to hide some suspicion.

"You show them, Takeru! Fight!" cried Rika, throwing a fist up in the air to encourage him. "You can get those demons back! You can do it!"

Takeru shot her a grin. "I will, thanks Rika!"

Chie walked in the classroom at that moment, and they all ran back to their seats, Satoko picking up whatever had caused the trap in the process. Chie noticed this, as well as Rena's stain, and let out a large sigh. She shook her head as she walked up to the front of the classroom, deciding to disregard it. Satoko had always pulled those kinds of stunts, after all.

Chie began to speak about various things; but Keiichi's mind was wandering off. What would happen if someone found out that he was the one that had taken Mion and Shion? It wouldn't be good, that was for sure. He remembered Number Fifty-One's last moments as a human, as well as his friends last moments in the world. He would end up having one of these punishments if he were to be found out, and Mion and Shion would be stripped of their names once again and thrown back into the basement.

He clenched his teeth at such a thought. Mion and Shion had just escaped such tragedy, and the idea of them going back to where they came from made Keiichi want to punch someone right in the face. He couldn't allow himself to be caught, and that was final.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner**

**Filler Chapters FTW! …Just kidding, you all hate these chapters. I know that, but really, I wanted to post this. There was originally going to be a scene at the end, but I added the scene at the beginning instead and I decided to save the next scene for the next chapter, as I cut the original Chapter Fourteen as it just wasn't necessary. I know I've taken a while on this chapter, but I actually started on Friday, where I wrote like… one thousand words. I was going to write on Saturday, but I didn't for some reason. I believe I was watching the new episode of Fate/Zero and got caught up in that. So this was all written like… today. **

**Understand that I can't be updating all the time, and I'm sorry that every chapter has to include these notices.**

**Please review in any case. If you didn't like the fillerness of this chapter, I'll have you know that there's going to be Mion/Keiichi in the next chapter. Not really fluffy, but there's hints of it, so look forward to that! Reviewers of this chapter can get… eh… eh… eh… another ticket to Crimso Land. I haven't given those out in a while, now have I? They've expired since GED, for all of those who got one. People who point out typos and paragraph scrunches shall receive a bonus ticket to Crimso's Super Ice Cream Parlor, which has WONDERFUL ice cream.**

**Until next time, whenever that will be!**

**~Crimso.**

**P.S: Nipah.**


	16. Chapter 15: Sunset

**Crimso's Notes:**

**English Writing assignments are tedious, really. I mean, I enjoy them and all, but my English teacher is so damn picky that it gets hard to do anything without him pointing out one, tiny mistake that doesn't make a differences at all. I'm used to it because I had him last year, but it's still annoying. Really, it is. …Looking over what I just wrote, I realize that my assignment is really getting to my head. …We have to write from the main character's point of view. Yeah, you can guess which book we've been reading pretty easily. I think.**

**Notes: No notes necessary for this chapter. Just remember that Mion's hair isn't in a ponytail, it's down like her sister. Shion doesn't have ribbons in her hair, either. I know you tend to picture them like that… but… yeah, that's how things are here. Please take note this chapter is mostly for development and sort of MionXKeiichi stuff. Sort of. Sort of. _Sort of. _It was orginally going to be more MionXKeiichi, but eh... things happened when I wrote it and all that. And yes, I'm actually writing this part in the document uploader, seconds before this chapter is added..**

**Read on, people!**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter 15: Sunset**

Keiichi returned home after going to the store that day, carrying his backpack over one shoulder. He had promised the twins that he would get them quite a bit of meat, which he had done. Rika fed her demons almost every day, and she had thirty-five of them, so getting meat for the two twins every day shouldn't be very hard. He placed his backpack down on the ground before fishing within it, grasping onto the packed meat. It appeared to him that his parents still hadn't come home, for whatever reason, so he cleared his throat.

"MION! SHION!" he yelled out into the house. "I BROUGHT MEAT!"

Scrambling could be heard, and soon enough, Mion and Shion's figures came down from the stairs, both of them instantly standing in front of him. They caught sight of the meat at once, staring it with hunger clear in their green eyes. They were both trying to hold themselves back from ripping it right out of there hands, and they were doing a pretty good job of it, too.

Keiichi opened the meat and placed it down, watching as the two of them instantly leapt at it. He took a few steps back from them, his eyes wide as they quickly tore chunk after chunk out of the slab and into their mouths. Judging by the way they were acting, one would think that the two of them hadn't eaten in months rather than a few days.

They finished the meat pretty quickly, both of them looking quite satisfied with what Keiichi had brought them. "All right then, now that's done," Keiichi spoke to himself as he crossed his arms, looking at the two of them. He would have to get used to feeding them every few days, and maybe even every day if that was possible. His goal, at the moment, was to make them feel a little better, to make them happy. Of course, they wouldn't be able to understand that, but the teaching of emotions would come a little later. He'd try his best, but he figured that it would take a while. Trying to describe the concept of love to the two twins had been extremely hard for him. He was sure that describing any other emotion would be just as hard.

"Man, you're really nice, Kei-chan," Mion commented as she ran her hair through her loose, green hair. "This demon here can't remember the last time she ate!"

Shion nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Kei-chan." She grinned at him. "Yasuo wasn't a very nice person, unlike you. He'd come down every once in a while to taunt us, but he wouldn't feed us or anything like that." Suddenly, she stiffened, a memory triggering in her mind. Mion noticed this and looked towards her, realizing what she was thinking about.

"Something wrong?" Keiichi asked.

Mion shook her head. "You shouldn't worry about it, Kei-chan. It's nothing."

He decided to shrug it off and not bother to ask them about what it was. Usually, something meant nothing, but they were probably just recalling unpleasant memories of Yasuo and the other demon keepers. They weren't very nice to them, to say the least, and the memories of them surely weren't very pleasant for them to remember. Moving on from the topic of Yasuo and the other demon keepers, Keiichi remembered his promise to the two twins. He was to take them outside today, away from most people, so that they could play a little bit. They surely had been eagerly awaiting his return so that they could spend more time outside than they did yesterday. "Okay then, how about if we go outside now?" he asked them.

Both of them nodded instantly, excitement filling their green eyes. Keiichi couldn't help but smile at this. Of course, he had to consider where exactly he was going to take them. He could go behind their house and no one would see them, though that didn't have the nicest area, despite being rather big. There weren't very many flowers or anything like that, and it was mostly just grass. Still, though, it was the safest place he could take them. They probably wouldn't mind, anyways. All the twins wanted to do was go outside, and the area wasn't specific.

"Follow me, but be very careful. We _can't_ be caught," he told them both. If he were to be caught… then… Keiichi shuddered at the thought.

Keiichi led them both out of the door and around the house silently, looking about to make sure that there really wasn't anyone around. People really didn't tend to come that way around that time, so he really was only looking to be super sure and careful. After all, the consequences, if he were to be caught with the two of them, would surely be severe. When they were behind the house, Keiichi leaned against it and watched the two of them. There was no way anyone would see them unless they walked behind the house, which he was sure no one would do, unless they were his parents.

Speaking of his parents, where were they? Perhaps they had been delayed on their travel back or something similar, or they just had to stay a few more days. Still, though, it was strange that they hadn't bothered to contact him at all.

Mion began to poke at a flower that had been growing, one of a light blue color. There weren't many, but it was enough for her. "What is this strange thing?" she asked as she observed it. "It's a very interesting color."

Keiichi smiled at her, walking over to stand beside her. "That's a flower," he explained to her. "You see? Smell it. Most flowers smell really, really nice."

Mion bent over to sniff it. "It smells really good!" she cried out after taking a single whiff of the flower's pleasant aroma. She sniffed it again, and then again, and again. Then she moved on to sniff another flower, this time one of a dark purple color. "Oh, this one smells good too. Sis, why don't you come over here and smell it?"

Shion had occupied herself with studying the bark of a tree, though she stopped when she heard her sister call for her. She turned around and walked over to the patch of flowers, bending over to sniff the same light blue one Mion had been sniffing. "Ah, it really does smell good! I've never smelled anything like this in my life."

"There are all different types of flowers, you see. There are ones with similar colors but different shapes, and similar shapes but different colors. Some of them even smell differently, depending on the type of flower," Keiichi explained to the two of them. "Flowers can also represent an emotion or a feeling of some kind. People give flowers to other people sometimes based on what they mean. They're very interesting."

Shion poked the pink petals of a flower. "Do they ever get old? Do they ever die?" she asked him.

Keiichi nodded. "All things die eventually. Flowers need a lot of sunlight and water to survive, and if people touch them too much, it can also hurt them."

Upon hearing that, Shion jerked her hand away from the flower, a look of guilt in her green eyes.

"Ahaha, don't worry. If you poke it once, it won't hurt it," Keiichi reassured the girl.

Shion relaxed a little upon hearing that. "Good, I don't want to hurt anything anymore…" she said to herself quietly, though Keiichi was able to hear it. It certainly sparked the boy's interest, but he decided not to comment on it and just think about it for a little bit instead. Had she hurt something before? It was clear that she felt guilt for almost "murdering" the flower, in her mind. Destroying a flower was sad, but Shion seemed to treat it as if she was killing a person or something similar.

Upon further inspection, Keiichi realized that Shion could only feel guilty for the flower if she felt something for it, if she understood how sad someone could be if he or she got hurt. Of course, sorrow was something that Shion probably understood better than anything other emotion, since she had taken in so much of it due to how she had been treated. Looking over to Mion, he could tell that she felt the same way. _They feel something for it. They just don't know what they feel for it._

Mion went over to the same tree her sister had been inspecting and began to trace the patterns on the bark. She was very intrigued by it, trying to figure out all the patterns that were embedded within the surface of the bark. Shion went over to her and began to continue her study of the bark, feeling it's rough surface with her fingers.

There was a slight breeze, and a single leaf shook free from the tree. It landed on top of Mion's head, who began to grow very confused as to what had fallen on her head. She took the leaf off of her head and looked at it closely. Her attention then went to the leaves that were growing on the tree, and she realized that the leaf had probably fallen off of the branch. "Is it hurt?" she asked as she stared at it. "Did it hurt when it fell off of the top?"

Keiichi shook her head. "No. Leaves don't feel pain," he explained to her. "The leaf just fell off because of the wind, which was what you felt in the air before."

"Ah," she replied. Mion stood tiptoed and placed the leaf on top of the lowest branch. She smiled at it when she did, adjusting it slightly to make sure that it didn't fall off. "Okay, I think it's all better now…"

Keiichi smiled. She really had the ability to emphasize with others. He really didn't understand why Mion wasn't able to grasp the concept of her _own_ emotions when she felt bad for the tree leaves, though it was possible that she just didn't understand what she was feeling towards the tree leaves either, and she was just acting on her own. It was similar to the warm feeling she got. She knew how that felt, but not what it was.

The twins were really having a blast exploring the outside. It must have been so new to them, so wonderful. He couldn't imagine how they felt, seeing a whole new world for the first time. Sure, he went to new places and saw new things, but the outside was something totally different from the inside world they had been trapped in, especially since they had been in a cell with nothing in it all their lives. But they were enjoying themselves now, and it was all thanks to him. He felt a little arrogant as he thought that, but he really did help them. If it weren't for his actions, they would still be trapped underground, having no idea how the outside world looked. _But the job is not done yet. No, it's far from being over. I have to teach them emotions, and they have to have an understanding about life. …And there's also the obstacle of what I'm going to do with them all their lives. Sure, I'm keeping them for now, but how long will that last for? Will someone ever find out?_

After a little bit more of exploring, Keiichi cleared his throat. "Hey, you two, do you want to play a game?"

Shion and Mion turned to look at him, and he saw clear interest in Mion's eyes. "Ooh, a game? Tell me," Mion spoke, a smirk growing on her face.

"It's an outside game, it's not something like Go Fish that you play indoors. It's a very special game that you can only play outdoors," he explained to her. "And it doesn't involve cards or anything like that. No. It's a lot different from that."

Shion looked to her sister, who was grinning. "Ah, sis loves these kinds of things. She can really play cards well. I can't even beat her!" she laughed, nudging her sister.

Mion certainly did look interested in what he had to say. Was there really games that could only be played outdoors? "Tell me!" she cried out. "Does it involve sword fighting? If so, then I could beat you in a matter of seconds! Heck, this demon here could probably beat you in any game!"

Keiichi laughed at her eager attitude towards his game. "Ahaha, well you certainly seem excited for this!" he chuckled. "Well, the game is a very simple game that kids of all ages play. It's a game called Tag, and the rules are very simple. One person is 'it', and everyone has to run away from that person. If 'it' touches someone, then they become 'it' and the previous 'it' becomes a normal player, and they have to run from them. Do you understand?" he explained to her.

"Question," Mion asked. "How do you win?

Keiichi looked up above him at the blue sky. "We'll play until sundown, and then we'll watch it. …That's when the sky turns a different color, by the way. Who ever is 'it' by sundown loses, and who ever isn't 'it' is the winner. Of course, that means that there will only be one loser and two winners," he told them both.

Mion looked to Shion and nodded, then returning her gaze to Keiichi. "Understood!" she cried out. "…Wait a moment, who is 'it'?"

Keiichi pointed to Shion. "She'll be 'it' first!" he cried out, startling the poor green-haired twin. "Just remember not to go in front of the house, where people can see you. Start!"  
>He dashed off and away from Shion, who instantly went after him, and not Mion. Mion ran behind the tree, hiding in its shade as she watched her twin sister chase the poor brown-haired boy. He was running in circles with the demon tagging closely behind him. Shion was rather fast, Keiichi noted, as he tried picking up the pace. The circles continued until Keiichi made a dash towards the tree, causing Shion to follow him. Spotting Mion, Shion grabbed her and grinned.<p>

"You know what that means, sis? It means that you're 'it' now!" she cried out as she dashed away from her sister with Keiichi, a grin on her face.

"Not for long!" she cried out as she chased after the two of them, a determined look on her face. Keiichi knew that Mion could be pretty competitive when it came to card games, and it looked as if her competitiveness would pass on to outside games, as well. She was running at a fast pace, though she was being careful not to run out from behind the house. She chased her sister and friend about the yard as they proceeded to dash in all different directions, confusing her.

Mion managed to catch up with them, and then tagged Keiichi as soon as she got close enough. "It looks like you're going to be 'it' now, Kei-chan! Can you catch this demon here?" she taunted as she turned around as fast as she could and ran away. Keiichi took this as a challenge and ran after her, his eyes focusing on the older one of the green-haired twins. He tried to make a dash for Shion, hoping that she would be an easier target, but she was just as fast as her sister. Even though she was less competitive, Shion appeared to be just as hard to catch.

_Well then,_ Keiichi thought as he glanced between the girls. _I'll go for Mion, because I need pay back for what she did to me during out game of Go Fish! _His mind set, Keiichi turned towards the green-haired girl and ran after her without thinking. She was fast, but Keiichi was fast, too. He quickened his pace as he reached for her shoulder, then gently touching it with his fingers.

"Ha, I got you, Mion!" cried Keiichi, pride in his voice at having tagged the girl who had been cheating before. He had gotten her fair and square, and while it wasn't a complete victory, it felt good.

The girl whipped around, a confused look on her face. Keiichi's heart sank when he read her collar, realizing the girl he had just tagged was Shion, and not Mion. Her back had been facing him, so there was no way that he would have known. "Ah… hi, Shion," was all he could say as he rubbed his head awkwardly. "My… tongue slipped?" he lied.

In his state of shock, Shion grabbed him. "Nice one, Kei-chan. You're 'it' again," she told him before running off with her sister as fast as she could. Feeling cheated, Keiichi ran after her, chasing her as fast as his legs would allow him to run.

He was running as fast as he was when he was trying to avoid the detection of the villagers now. He was humiliated at having grabbed the wrong twin, but he knew that he would catch them this time. Looking at the sky briefly, he realized that it was beginning to change color just a little bit. He didn't have very much time until sundown would fully start, and he would lose. He picked up the pace, running as fast as his legs could possibly take him. Sticky sweat trickled down his forehead as his feet pounded against the grass, his strength slowly diminishing.

Finally, he grew tired. He stopped for a little to catch his breath, clutching his chest as he breathed in and out. The twins dashed off behind the tree, leaving him behind. He tried not to think about it as he breathed more, feeling extremely tired from all the chasing he had done. Really, when was the last time he had played a game of tag this intense? _Never. I played tag at school when I was a kid, but I was never into it. …I never cared for anyone there. This is different. I'm actually having fun with this._

Feeling that he had his breath and strength again, Keiichi stood upright. The twins were still behind the same tree, and they surely weren't expecting his return. He ran at them with the speed of a cheetah, starling the two demons. Before Mion could even react, his hand was already placed against her back, a grin on his face as he looked at her. "Aha… I got you now, Mion!" he yelled out, though he sounded a little exhausted. Before she could say anything after that, he ran off without thinking about where he was going at all. He just ran and ran, not bothering to look behind him.

He stopped and looked behind him. One of the twins was chasing after the other, the one that was 'it' intent on tagging her sister. Shion ran at Keiichi, hiding behind him. "Kei-chan, let's go to the trees!" she told him, pointing towards the trees. "Hide from my sis with me! If we want to win, we're in this together!"

Keiichi glanced at the sky briefly. Sundown was coming quick, and it would only be a minute before it really begun. "All right!" he yelled. If he could keep this up, then he could beat Mion and earn payback for the cheating she had done when she was playing Go Fish with him. They ran about, trying to wear down Mion, before they dashed behind the tree. Mion was catching her breath, which left them with quite a bit of time to do the same. They could both beat Mion now! There was hardly any time left!

"Kei-chan," spoke Shion, turning to look at him.

"…Yes, Shion?" he asked her.

Suddenly, he felt Shion's hand on his chest. He stared into her face, finding that a smirk was slowly growing on it. "…You're 'it'," she told him.

Wait a second, wasn't Mion it? "No, Mion's it, remember, not you!" he cried out.

Shion smirked. "I am Mion, though," she told him.

Keiichi glanced to her collar quickly, finding that she had rotated it so that the name was unreadable. She flipped it back around, revealing the name Mion written on the piece of paper he had attached to it. _What the hell? They switched so that they could trick me!_ Keiichi felt cheated for the second time. Was doing such a thing against the rules?

"When?" he asked her.

"…When you tagged me and ran off. We took a little bit to switch our collars around." Mion then looked at the sky. "…Goodbye!"

She ran away as fast as she could from him, moving to join her sister as they ran about the yard, away from Keiichi. He was too stunned to move for a little bit. Mion and Shion had just pulled a really, really nasty trick on him, and he had _fallen_ for it. He was about to run after him, but he could hear Mion and Shion shouting something as they pointed up at the sky. The sun was moving down, creating pink and yellow shades in the sky.

The game was over, and he had lost.

"DARN IT!" he cried out.

The twins grinned at him.

"Mion, is this one of your strategies?" he asked her, turning to her, remembering how she looked at the back of his cards and read them, claiming that doing such a thing was not cheating and just strategy.

"Nowhere in your set of rules did it say that we couldn't switch places," Mion pointed out, waggling her finger. "And you were the one who gave us the idea, remember? When we were still in the basement and you were speaking about identical twins swapping, and then when you mistook Shion for me. _You_ were the one that gave us the idea of swapping places." She shrugged. "The game's over. Don't be such a sore loser!"

Keiichi rubbed his temples. Mion had weird ways of winning, that was sure. For once, he wanted to play a game with her that didn't involve some kind of weird strategy that most people didn't use. Most people didn't memorize the back of their cards, and most people didn't have identical twins that they could swap with. He was a little frustrated, but he realized that it was really just a game. She just wanted to have fun outside for the first time in her life. Keiichi looked up at her, a huge grin spread across his face. "Well then, we'll play tag another time, and when we do tht, I'm going to beat you!"

Mion laughed. "Oh, so you think that you can beat this demon here? I'm not so sure about that…" she replied, crossing her arms. "I'm pretty damn good at everything I do."

Shion simply smiled at Keiichi. "My sis has strange tactics she uses to win, but it's all a part of the rules!"

"I guess so," replied Keiichi. Then, he looked up at the sky, which was beginning to change into a gradient of different colors. He sat down on the grass, looking up at the sky. He never usually watched the sunset. It wasn't something he used to appreciate when he was in the city. He gestured for the two of them to sit down next to him, which they did. "You see? That's the sunset. The sun goes down and the night starts. Then you can see the moon and the stars."

Mion and Shion stared at the sky as the sun slowly went down, changing the sky into a combination of blue, pink, and yellow. It was incredible for demons like them, who had never seen the sunset before. "That's so pretty. Is it like that when the sun comes up, too?" Mion asked him, leaning on her sister as she gazed at the disappearing sun.

"Yeah, but you have to be up early for all that," Keiichi responded as he too looked at the many colors that painted the sky. "It's a little annoying, waking up early. Sleep is wonderful."

"I agree. I like sleeping," Shion commented. "Especially when sis is by my side. Then everything is warm, and I feel a lot better."

_Warm, huh?_ Keiichi sighed. That warm feeling she was talking about was the love she shared with her sister, how much they liked to be together and near each other. They only had each other for all of their lives. Sure, they met many servants, but none of them ever had an interest in either of them. They just wanted to do their job so that they could receive money, and didn't care about the actual demons. They had always had each other, and held a deep love for the other. The bonds between siblings were something that he couldn't understand, as he was an only child, but they were certainly strong.

Would Takeru love the two of them if he were to meet them? Well, he was sure that he already knew about their existence, but they hadn't been able to grow close, as they were demons and he was a human. If the twins had been spared, then Takeru would be able to know them as humans, and perhaps grow to love them just as much as they loved each other. The only reason he held no love towards his siblings was because he never got to know them as people. He only knew them as the two demons that were stuck in their cells, who were also his sisters.

For that matter, did Mion and Shion know that Takeru was their brother? Judging by the fact they were unsure of the definition of mother before, it was possible that they didn't know brother, either. They did, however, know that they were sisters, though not twins. _I suppose they think of him as the heir to the Sonozaki family and nothing more than that. _It was for the same reason that Takeru didn't get to know his sisters, because they were demons and he was a human. They couldn't think of him as anymore than the human heir of the Sonozaki family. They wouldn't get to know each other with that barrier in the way.

The two demons were holding hands as they sat close together, with Mion leaning on Shion. Their fingers were intertwined, the two of them enjoying the warm feeling they were getting from being close to each other. Keiichi smiled at the two of them, knowing that one day, they would be able to understand that warm feeling even more, and perhaps the happiness they were getting out of seeing the outside world and the sunset for the first time. They were enjoying it, but they just didn't understand it.

He was sure they had emotions. The reason why they didn't understand was probably because they hadn't been taught them when they were little, and it was unlikely that the two of them received much affection from anyone other than each other. They didn't have their mother when they were little, which was probably a huge factor in why they couldn't understand love or affection. A mother's warmth was something that all children received early on in life, and yet, these two didn't receive any of that.

"Do you like it?" Keiichi asked the two of them, deciding to break the silence.

"Like what?" Shion asked.

"The sunset," Keiichi responded.

Shion nodded as she grasped her sister's hand a little tighter. "Of course I like it. It's nothing like anything I've ever seen before," she commented. "There was no color in the basement. There was just… nothing. It was cold."

"I'm glad that I got to see it. I never thought something like a sunset could exist when I was in the basement. …Before you came, Kei-chan, I had no clue what the outside world could look like. The servants were talking about what was behind those doors, and where they would go, but I didn't understand it, and I couldn't picture it," Mion spoke out as she stared at the changing sky before her, her body still resting against her sister's. "Thank you for that, Kei-chan. I feel better with you here."

"I agree with sis. I'm sorry for doubting you before, Kei-chan," she said, thinking back to the time where she was doubtful that Keiichi would actually do anything to save them. It was only to be expected. No one had actually tried to help them before or shown any sign that they cared, so why should she have thought any better of Keiichi? "But thank you for what you have done. I… I would hate to be in that basement right now. It just seems so gross…"

"And cold," Mion added on.

Shion nodded. "And cold."

Once again, Keiichi took note of the cold feeling they were talking about. It wasn't actually the feeling of being cold, but rather emptiness or sorrow. The basement was nothing comforting; it was nothing that one would like to be around. It seemed cold and empty to the two of them, unlike the affection the two of them shared with each other.

"I'm glad that I managed to do something for you two," Keiichi responded as he watched the sun disappear. "…It makes me feel…" He paused. He didn't want to use the word happy. "…Well, let's just say that I'm glad I did something for you two."

Yes. He used to be someone that didn't care about anyone, someone who had no friends. Now, he was actually doing something. He was helping two girls who were lost in the world, teaching them about the life they had been missing out on and the world around them. He was doing something to help someone, something that would alter the two twins' lives. It was a huge change from the old him, who used to care only about grades and nothing else.

_But there's still more. I'm not finished. _Keiichi glanced over to the twins, who were still cuddled close together, their fingers locked in a tight embrace. _I'm not even half done. …After all, these two… still don't understand themselves… _He balled his hand into a fist. _That's right, Maebara Keiichi. You've got to work harder, you have to help them! From now on, there's no slacking off! You've got to help them… and you have to help them now!_

He nodded. Yes, he would definitely try harder now that they were free of the basement and more open to the world around them. They would feel different emotions as they passed through the world, and he would teach them about them. There was no doubt that he would do it. After all, he was already set on his goal, and when Maebara Keiichi was set on something, there was no turning back.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner v.2**

**Dude. So it's Wednesday. Yes, Wednesday. Not Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. **_**Wednesday.**_** I actually uploaded a chapter on the weekday. …God, maybe I had homework or something that I didn't do, because I'm usually as busy as hell and can't work on anything. I mean, I have to read more of my book for English, but that can be done at break and is usually done at break for me. I had it right before lunch, so I have time to do it during break. I usually end up doing a lot of my homework at break and lunch, anyways…**

**Let's not talk about school. So, the new Higurashi OVA, file three, DOES have KeiRena in it. Guys, stay calm. This is where I summon Mion from **_**Green-Eyed Demon**_** and have her tear KeiRena to shreds. …Actually… I wish I could really do that. I knew it would happen, but… GAAAAAH. The KeiMion looks cool, too. The ending theme is going to be sung by Yukino Satsuki, which is awesome. I mean, Yukino Satsuki is my favorite voice actor. Why? She can do duets with **_**herself.**_** But really, have you seen the cover of File three? I think it's pretty nice~. (It's Mion and Shion's turn to get all the attention on the official artwork, by the way. Yay~).**

**Please review! People who review can get a ticket to Crimso Beach, which I gave out before in GED. I'm offering it again. Really, I am. I actually hate the beach, so if you hate the beach, you can go to the many restaurants on the side of it. Pointing out typos will get you a ticket to bring a friend. Tell me what you liked about this chapter and all that. Also, please tell me any predictions you have! I love hearing them, because I know what's going to happen.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: I've noticed my paragraphs scrunches have stopped for some odd reason. Wonder why?**


	17. Chapter 16: Unrequited

**Crimso's Notes:  
>Today is a good day. I don't know why. I'm just in a happy mood today. …Things just seem to be going well right now. I actually said something grammatically correct in Spanish class! I actually did<strong>_** well **_**in the class. My teacher says that I'm getting on the right track, and that it's good that I'm actually something some work in class instead of eating people's souls. (…Don't ask. It's a really long story). I still got a B on my test, though. …Why is it that I'm talking about Spanish class in Crimso's Notes about thirty percent of the time? …On another note, I got an A on the English Essay I thought I failed, so I feel good~. Well, that was yesterday, but I still feel good about it. (I'm in History, FYI. Let's see how the rest of my school day goes. I only have this and Science, so I think my good day shall continue.)**

**Notes: None.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Sixteen: Unrequited **

The loud and rather annoying ringing of the phone woke Keiichi from his peaceful sleep, causing him to look over at it with drowsy eyes. Without thinking much, he got up from his futon and grabbed it, holding it to his ear. He wondered why someone would call him this early in the morning, when they knew that he was probably asleep. Giving a quick look to the other futon, he noted that Mion and Shion hadn't woken up from the sound of the telephone, thankfully.

"Hello?" he spoke into the telephone, his voice sounding exhausted.

"Ah! Keiichi!" cried the distinctive voice of his father from the other side of the telephone. "Sorry for calling you so early in the morning."

Keiichi blinked a few times after hearing the voice of his father. He had been missing for a while, after all, so it came as a surprise to Keiichi. "Ah, dad! Did something happen? You didn't show up yesterday, when you were supposed to come back," Keiichi spoke, though his voice was still a little worn from having been woken up so early. "I was afraid that you had gotten hurt. I suppose that's not the case, now that I'm hearing from you."  
>"Nah. Something else came up, and we're going to have to be here a while longer. You don't mind, do you?" his father's voice came from the other side. "Although we apologize for leaving our darling son all by himself! Oooh, you've become such a man! I remember when you were just a little boy, and you couldn't go anywhere without your mommy!"<p>

Keiichi felt a little irritated. Like most kids his age, he didn't really like hearing his parents talk about how cute he was when he was little. "Well, anyways," he said, trying to draw the topic to something else. "When do you think you're going to be back, dad?"

"Ah, I do not know, my son! But your father will call you when we get a word on that." His voice suddenly paused, and talking could be heard in the background. "Ah, sorry Aiko. Well, Keiichi, I have to be going now. Please remember to buy more instant ramen so you don't starve! Well, good bye!"

"Yeah, goodbye," replied Keiichi as he placed the phone back down. He had already gotten more instant ramen when he got meat for Mion and Shion earlier. With a sigh, he lay back down on the futon. It was still a little early, so he could spend a little time lying down with his eyes closed, hopefully to wear down his exhaustion. It wasn't as effective as sleep, but it did help a little bit.

The twins were still sound asleep, even after the telephone ringing and the conversation he had had with his father. They were cuddled together, as usual, with their arms wrapped around the other and their bodies close together. They were both surely enjoying the warm feeling that they usually got from being together, the warm feeling that was also known as love.

After school, he decided that he'd start teaching them. Well, he really already had, for the most part, but he would start trying to do his best to describe things to them. It was sad, really. The idea of someone his age not being able to comprehend simple ideas like happiness was just heartbreaking. _No, I can't think like that anymore. I know it's heartbreaking, but I have to stop thinking about that. I have to do something now. I can't just stand there and feel bad for them._

He got up after a few minutes of contemplating what he was going to do, stretching his whole body out. He gave once last glance to the twins to confirm that they were still asleep, and then made his way out the door and down the stairs. He sighed as he took out some instant ramen before starting the hot water for it. _I'm really getting sick of this instant ramen. _Keiichi sat down at the table, drumming his fingers on top of the table.

Pouring the hot water into the cup of ramen, he began to eat it without thinking. It really wasn't good at all compared to his mother's master chef skills, but he had to manage. His parents would come home soon, and then he could enjoy a good meal for once. Swallowing the noodles in his mouth, Keiichi thought about this a little. What would he do with Mion and Shion when his parents came back? He'd have to confine them to his room, which was something he certainly didn't want to do. It would be too similar to their previous life, in which they stayed in cells all day and did nothing. Sure, his room was a lot more comfortable, but he felt terrible forcing them to stay in one place. They were both curious demons who wanted to explore, and he was preventing them from doing that.

_But it's for their own good. What the Sonozaki family was doing was not for their own good. They locked them up just to keep them away from their mother. What was the point of that, anyways? Why don't they just allow Akane to keep them? _He thought to himself as he swallowed another mouthful of flavorless ramen. _It's pointless. It was all just too cruel._

He finished his ramen and grabbed his bag. Mion and Shion would wake up soon, and would be surprised to find that he wasn't there. He thought about writing a note, but he wasn't all that sure that they actually knew how to read. It was possible that they hadn't been taught how to read all that much, and while they maybe knew a few things, it was likely that they didn't know anymore than that. He cringed at the idea, but then shook it off. _Well, they'll assume I went out, I suppose. I think they know not to go outside when I'm out._

Sunlight hit the boy as he stepped out onto the dusty paths of Onigafuchi. He breathed in the fresh air, tasting it. He wished that Mion and Shion could be with him right now, enjoying the air, but there was really no option at the moment. Giving a glance to the window that connected the outside to his room, he made sure that Mion and Shion weren't visible.

Nodding in confirmation, he walked off and down the paths. It was getting rather hot, Keiichi noted. Summer was beginning, as it was early June, and soon enough the heat would engulf the village. _Boy, I'm really looking forward to that, _Keiichi thought sarcastically as his feet hit the path beneath him. _I can't stand the heat. It's just… I don't know. Hot. What else is there to say about it? _He brushed a small bead of sticky sweat off of his forehead as he walked on. He had to wonder if Mion and Shion would grow uncomfortable under the sheets of the futon when they snuggled with each other at night. It would be _really_ hot underneath that sheet, along with having a whole person right next to you.

Keiichi opened the door to the school and walked in. Small children were running about, laughing and giggling as they went into the classroom. He wondered how they could be so cheerful, living in such a town. Rika and Satoko also showed almost no sign of being depressed by the state of their morbid town. Perhaps they were used to it, because it was there town, but there was also the whole case of the kidnappings. Were they even considering the fact that one day, they could be snatched up and killed?

He stepped into the classroom, and was not surprised the moment a bucket of water came falling down from the door. Ice cold water splattered all over him, and Keiichi had to admit that he actually enjoyed being trapped for once. The temperature of the water was a great contrast to the temperature outside, and it really did cool him down.

"Satoko, that wasn't much of a trap. I actually enjoyed the water," Keiichi informed her calmly as he removed the bucket from his head, placing it down next to him.

The yellow-haired girl's head poked out from behind a desk. "It was still a trap, whether or not you liked it!" laughed Satoko as she came out fully from behind the desk, a grin on her face just like usual. "And my trap was a great success! Did you see how much work I put into it?" she asked him, placing her hands on her hips as she observed the soaked boy. "It was hard, but I managed to do it. And now, sweet victory!"

"It was just a bucket of water," Keiichi commented as he gazed down at his shirt. His white vest was showing through, revealing the red shirt he was wearing beneath it. He really didn't mind all that much, though. "I don't see how it's any better than your other traps, Satoko. Do you wish to elaborate on this?" he asked, walking up to the yellow-haired girl with a challenging grin on his face. Nothing seemed special about that trap. It was just another bucket of water.

Satoko smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, what did you see when you walked in?"

The question was a little odd, but Keiichi decided to answer it anyways. "When I walked in, there were a bunch of children running and playing with each other in the hallway. And then, they ran into the classroom," Keiichi answered without thinking about it at all. Nothing seemed special about the situation, either. Children were running and having fun. What was strange about that, aside from the fact that it was probably pretty hard to be happy in a village like Onigafuchi? Of course, such a thing like how happy they were in a cursed village couldn't be related to her trap.

"Oh, but when they walked in, there was no bucket of water. When you walked in moments later, there was a bucket of water," Satoko reminded him.

"Ah, so you climbed up the wall and dumped it on my head when you saw me or something?" Keiichi replied as he looked up. It didn't make much sense, but he wouldn't put it past Satoko.

Satoko shook her head. "No, that's not it. There's no way for me to stand on thin air, Keiichi," she replied, rolling her eyes at the thought. There was silence from Keiichi, and Satoko began to impatiently tap her foot on the ground. After a few moments, she sighed. "I set it up within the time that the children walked in and the time that you walked in. I told them to tell me when you were coming so I could attach the bucket of water." She grinned proudly. "And that just goes to show how fast I am at making traps!" she boasted.

Keiichi was in awe of her speed. How could someone do something like that so fast? He didn't know what to say, so he simply patted her on the head to congratulate her wordlessly.

Satoko stuck her chest out with pride. "Thank you," she said.

Small footsteps could be heard from behind, and soon enough, young Rika appeared beside her best friend, smiling at the brown-haired boy before her with one of her cute looks. "Mii, Satoko always does her best when she sets up traps. She's really good, so it makes her happy when you praise her like that." Rika looked over to her best friend. "She may seem like she doesn't appreciate it at times, but she becomes very happy when you say things like that!" And just for added effect, Rika added on a "nipah," at the end.

As soon as that word came out of her mouth, Rena came dashing over. She scooped the poor blue-haired girl up in her arms as she brought her to her face, cooing over how adorable she was. "Ooh, Rika-chan is so cute! I could just take her home with me!" she cried out as she rocked the girl in her arms as if she were a newborn baby.

She let Rika down after a minute, and the blue-haired girl began to brush herself off. "Mii, I've always wondered what you would do if you were to actually take me home," she commented. "Would you throw me in the backyard with all the other stuff you brought home with you, or would you keep me with those broken old dolls you took home from the garbage dump last year?"

Rena scratched her head, contemplating that for a few minutes. Then, she opened her mouth, letting the answer everyone wanted to hear come out. "I don't know."

Satoko sighed. "So you don't even know what you'd do if you took me home?" she replied, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at the girl before her. She seemed rather irritated as she recalled all the times Rena had tried to take her home grudgingly. How Satoko and Rika could stand being picked up every second, Keiichi didn't know. It was just fun for Rena, and they knew that, but being picked up probably made them feel like children. Not that they weren't children, but it was treated them younger than they'd like to be treated.

It wasn't long before Satoshi and Takeru decided to join in on the conversation, with the two of them walking up to the group after noticing the commotion that was going on. "You should see Rena's collection of cute things," Takeru commented as she approached the group, a smile on his face. "Her garden and room are both completely filled with all the things she took home! I can't even count the number of things she took home."

Keiichi was going to comment how he wouldn't be surprised if Rika went missing one day with Rena turning out to be the culprit, but he realized it sounded a lot like the kidnappings and decided not to speak the thought at all. "That sounds a lot like her. How many dolls have you taken home? Do you have a lot of toy animals?" he asked her, glancing to the orange-haired girl to his right.

Rena nodded. "I have so many! My favorite, though, is this toy leopard I took home a long time ago! I named him Mr. Leopard." Her face quickly flustered with embarrassment. "I couldn't think of a name," she explained to them, so that they wouldn't get the wrong idea. Naming an animal the actual species of an animal was something that children did, so it sounded childish to do such a thing.

"I remember Satoko had a bear named Mr. Bear when she was little," Satoshi recalled, glancing over to his younger sister. "It was a small, tiny bear, but she loved it half to death."

Satoko looked down at her feet, her face slightly red.

"Hau…" murmured Rena, realizing that it really was something childish.

Takeru chuckled. "No need to be embarrassed, Rena!" he cried out as he patted her on the head. "Of course, I like it when you're embarrassed. You have this adorable little blush on your face and I can't get enough of how cute and pretty you look with it!" He winked at her. "Oh, but you look good without it too. You always look good, Rena."

The orange-haired girl looked down at her feet, trying not to show off the dark look in her eyes. "Hau… I'm embarrassed, Takeru-kun," she spoke in the best tone that she could fake. Keiichi managed to see her eyes, though, and the darkness within them. He knew that Rena just wanted to be Takeru's friend, and while she was flattered by what he said, she would rather that he didn't.

"Ah, speaking of which, Rena," Takeru spoke, giving her a somewhat serious look. "I want to talk to you for a little bit after school."

Rena nodded. "Okay, got it. My father wanted me to go to someone's house today, anyways, so Rena could spare some time." She glanced over to Keiichi. "Keiichi-kun, I know Takeru-kun has work, so I don't want to bother him. May I come to your place?" she asked him, a smile on her face.

Remembering his vow to teach Mion and Shion their emotions after school, he wasn't sure what to say to her. It would be rude to say no, though, so without thinking, he responded. "Sure. My parents are still gone, though, so it'll be empty besides us." That was a lie, of course. Mion and Shion would be there, but he couldn't tell her that.

She smiled. "Good! I've always wanted to see Keiichi-kun's house. So I hope you don't mind." She turned away to look into the forest green eyes of Takeru. "Of course, I'm going to talk to Takeru for a little bit like he asked me to, so if you could wait a little bit after school for that to be over… I'm sure it won't take too long."

Takeru nodded. "It'll only be a few minutes at the most," he replied.

"Yeah, if you could do that," Rena finished.

"Sure," replied Keiichi. He didn't have a problem with that. Waiting for a few moments didn't really matter, as he wasn't in a rush or anything like that.

"Then it's settled!" cried Rena with joy in her tone. "I can't wait to see Keiichi-kun's house, I can't wait! Hau!"

There was a twinge of jealous in Takeru's eyes, but Keiichi ignored it. Rena wasn't romantically involved with him, and it would never be that way.

**~~~~X~~~~**

The sun was beating down on the body of the two teenagers who stood outside the classroom. Rena was fidgeting a little from the heat, which was making her rather uncomfortable, though Takeru didn't seem to mind all that much. He was staring at her, a smile on his face. Rena really didn't know what to say to him, so she began to look around her. No one was there, as everyone had left aside from the two of them and Keiichi, who was waiting for them to finish so that they could go home together and spend a little time.

"Well," Rena spoke, not sure of what to say. Takeru staring at her and saying nothing was beginning to make her feel a little uncomfortable. "What is it Takeru-kun?"  
>Takeru smiled. "Rena, I want to speak to you about something. It's very important, so please listen."<p>

Rena looked curious. "Okay then, Rena will listen, but remember that Keiichi-kun is waiting."

"Of course," the boy responded. He didn't say anything for a little bit, as his eyes were focused on the girl in front of him and nothing else. She really was beautiful. "…Ahem, so Rena, you all ready know how I feel about you, I'm sure. I make it obvious, don't I?" he started to speak with a cheesy grin on his face. "But that's all done on purpose. I wanted you to know right away how I felt about you. I'm not embarrassed." He clenched his fists. "So that's why I want an answer, Rena."

Rena blinked. "An answer?" she asked, though deep in her heart she already knew what he was asking of her. She just didn't want to answer.

"Yes, an answer." Takeru stared at her with firm, serious eyes. "Rena, please tell me if you feel the same way that I do. I'm tired of just flirting around. I want to be with you for real."  
>Rena looked down at her feet and shuffled them uncomfortably. She didn't want to have to respond, to have to give an answer to him. She knew for a fact that she didn't feel the same way that he did, but what was she to say to him? Surely she couldn't tell him the truth and admit that she just wanted to be friends with him, but she really didn't like him and didn't want to be in a relationship with someone she didn't actually care for romantically. She began to grow nervous. She was taking a long time to respond, and Takeru would grow suspicious.<p>

She wanted to tell him yes, to lie and say that she did like him, but she had recalled what Keiichi had said to her before. Being in a relationship with him and pretending to like him was more painful than just rejecting him. If he were to find out that she really didn't feel the same way and that she was only dating him to make him feel better, then it wouldn't be pretty. But still, what was she to say? She didn't want to say no. It would hurt him beyond belief, and she didn't want to say yes and hurt him.

_…Maybe… maybe if I date him… then I'll grow to like him._ Rena clenched her fists as she thought about that. If she accepted him, even though she didn't have similar feelings, then she could perhaps grow to love him overtime. The romantic moments they would share together would surely ignite some kind of flame in her heart, wouldn't it? Then he wouldn't find out that she didn't like him when she accepted him.

"Yes," responded Rena, pain in her heart when she said it. "…I feel… the same way, Takeru-kun," she lied.

A huge grin spread across Takeru's face, and he walked over to her and pulled her in a tight embrace. "I'm glad," he whispered as he held her close, not reading the expression of sorrow on her face. "I'm so glad, Rena. I thought that you didn't like me, but I guess I was wrong. …I'm… so happy now, Rena."

Rena felt tears well up in her eyes at such words. She wanted to turn back, but she couldn't now. She had already told him that she liked him. She couldn't just tell him that she lied! He was so happy about her supposedly returning his feelings, and yet, she really didn't. She tried to brush the tears off, to fight them, but it was really tough for her to do so. She had lied to her friend about something, and he would be hurt.

_No, I'll grow to love him, won't I?_ Rena thought. _I… will… I'll love him… someday. I think I'll love him too…_

Shock filled Rena when she felt Takeru's soft lips gently touch her cheek, kissing it gently. People usually felt something from kisses, like their heart beating or a warm feeling in their chest, and yet, Rena couldn't feel that. She just felt pain. There was no beating of the heart, and there was no warmth. It just hurt.

"You'll be my girlfriend from now on, right?" whispered Takeru as he held her. "I promise I'll love you forever…"

Rena nodded without thinking. "Yeah… and… I'll do… the same," she responded.

Takeru pulled away from the embrace, smiling down at the girl in front of her. He couldn't read the pain in her eyes, as she was rather good at acting. Though on the inside, Rena felt as if that happy façade would crumble in a matter of seconds. Takeru didn't seem to notice, though, as he caressed her cheek lovingly. "Thank you, Rena. I'm done now. Are you sure you don't want to come to my place instead?"

The orange-haired girl looked down. "…I don't want to disturb your work. You told me you had a lot to do today."

"…You're right about that," sighed Takeru as he placed a single hand on his forehead, rubbing it gently. "Well then, how about if we spend sometime together after school tomorrow? Just the two of us."

"S-Sounds good," Rena replied.

"All right. Tomorrow it is."

Rena looked up into his forest-green eyes filled with intense amount of love in it. It startled her, and if anything, made the pain in her chest worsen. She had to get out of there and away from Takeru before her emotions got the best of her, unveiling the truth and upsetting him beyond belief. "Well… tomorrow then. I have to go, because Keiichi is waiting, but thank you. See ya!" she said as fast as she could. She whipped around and began to walk back to the schoolroom, unable to take the hurting feeling any longer. She couldn't believe what she had just done.

"Bye!" called Takeru, watching as his girlfriend departed. As he watched her, he placed a hand on his heart, which was thumping wildly. It was such a good, warm feeling. The amount of happiness that was filling him could not even be described it was so great. He truly loved Rena, and now, they could finally be together. There wouldn't be anymore random flirting. He could actually be with her now.

Of course, Takeru was still completely unaware of the opposing feeling of pain in Rena's heart.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Rena and Keiichi arrived at his house shortly after the incident. Rena had tried to not speak a word about it to Keiichi, but there wasn't much she could do. The word would get out eventually among the friends, so it would be better to just tell him now. She sat down on one of the couches in the first room, one that was rather comfortable. She enjoyed it, though such a thought was hardly on her mind right now. She fiddled with a cushion on the couch nervously as she thought about Takeru.

His words of love had stabbed her in the chest like a sharp knife, creating unbearable pain, and the wound was still leaking. She was afraid that it wouldn't stop, and the blood would unveil her true feelings to Takeru at one point. She couldn't hide the lies forever, after all.

"Rena, you've been uncomfortable since after Takeru talked to you," Keiichi commented as he stared at her, worry in his blue eyes.

Rena could only nod. "…I have been." She didn't try to deny it. She had to pour out her secrets to someone, and Keiichi was the best person to do it to. Satoshi was the only other person her age (well, Takeru not included), and he wasn't the best to talk to when it came to love. He would just blush and look down at the ground. Such topics weren't really his forte. It would be nice to have a girl her age around to talk to about love, as people generally felt more comfortable talking to their close friends of the same gender about such things, but there weren't any. Satoko didn't understand love all that well, and Rika didn't seem to care all that much. Keiichi was the only person she had.

"Did something happen?" he asked her.

"…Takeru confronted me about his feelings," she told him instantly. There was no point in trying to hide anything, really. "He asked me for an answer."

Keiichi blinked in surprise. "And what did you tell him?" he asked.

Rena glanced to the ground. "…I didn't know what to say at first, Keiichi-kun. You know that I don't feel the same way about Takeru, and that I wish that we could just be friends without all this flirting and love. …But there's no way that I could tell him that I didn't like him. It would just be… too cruel." She sighed. "…So I lied."

The male's sapphire blue eyes grew wide with shock. "You lied? !" he cried out.

She nodded. "I lied. I didn't know what else to do, Keiichi-kun. I didn't want to lie to him, because I know that that's just hurting him even more, but what was I to do? Takeru would be crushed if I said no." Rena's blue eyes were tainted with suffering. "I know Takeru well. He's been through a lot. The last thing he needs is me telling him that I don't feel the same way about him. I know he feels strongly for me. It would hurt him terribly."

"But you just said it yourself!" protested Keiichi. "You said that it hurts more when you lie!"

"Of course it does!" cried Rena. "But I figured that I'll grow to love him through the romantic actions we have! The flirting was just flirting. I'm sure by his other actions that I'll fall in love with him, and then we won't have to be playing a game of pretend!"

Keiichi still wasn't satisfied. "But Rena, you yourself said that you didn't want to have anything romantic with Takeru! You don't want to love him! So why are you forcing yourself to grow to love him when that's not what you want? You won't be able to love him if that's what you want! It'll never turn into something like that!" he yelled out, trying to do everything he could to convince her. Rena wasn't seeing things right.

Rena shook her head. "I'm sure it'll grow to become that…"

"It won't! Rena, please listen to me!" protested the brown-haired boy. He couldn't stand to see his friend suffer in such a way. She was just hurting herself and her friend at the same time.

Rena ignored him. "Where's the bathroom, Keiichi-kun?" she asked him, completely changing the topic.

Keiichi sighed, realizing that Rena wasn't going to listen to anything that he was saying. She had already made up her mind, and he couldn't convince her even though he knew what she was doing wasn't right. "It's upstairs," he answered her with yet another sigh.

She nodded and left.

The brown-haired boy knew that her friend didn't want his love. She wanted to be his friend and nothing more, so why was she forcing this on herself? She said she would grow to love him, but she wouldn't because that wasn't what she wanted from him. She didn't want to love him, so she couldn't grow to love him. Her body would force her to reject his love. There was no way that a relationship like that could ever work out.

_She's just… too kind._ Keiichi felt bad for her. She didn't want to hurt Takeru, but saying yes was also hurting him. No matter what Rena was going to do, it would end up hurting Takeru in the end. There was no way she could escape the situation without doing damage to the both of them. Takeru would be hurt knowing that Rena didn't feel the same way, and Rena would be hurt knowing that Takeru had been hurt by what she had told him.

_Poor Rena._ Keiichi couldn't find a way to get out of such a situation without someone ending up getting horribly hurt. It was just a situation where no one could win.

And, most unfortunately, Keiichi was so absorbed in the topic of Rena and Takeru that he had forgotten about his plans for that afternoon. He was to teach Mion and Shion a little more about emotions. And unfortunately, he had told them that they could go anywhere they wanted. They weren't downstairs, which meant…

"…Who are you?" Rena's voice cried out from upstairs. "A demon? Why is there a demon here?"

Keiichi shot up, realization hitting him hard. The next thing he knew, he was dashing up the stairs, to where he heard Rena cry. He instantly recognized his mistake. He had been foolish.

The scene in front of him was rather surprising. Rena was standing across from Mion, her eyes wide with shock. She was completely confused as to why a demon would be there, and when she looked at her collar, she was even more confused. Only the Sonozaki family had demon collars with spikes on them, which meant that Mion was property of the Sonozaki family. Mion, on the other hand, was startled. She knew that she couldn't be seen, and now that there was an unknown girl that had spotted her, she didn't know what to do.

"Rena!" Keiichi yelled out, causing her to whip around.

"Keiichi-kun? Why is there a Sonozaki demon here? Did she break in?" she asked him, her eyes still littered with shock and confusion.

Keiichi sighed as he rubbed his temples. What was he to do now? "…Rena… come to my room for a moment. Let's sit down and talk. You shared your secrets, I'll share mine," he told her gently. Really, there was nothing he could do now. Rena had already seen Mion, and he had no choice but to tell her now. Besides, Rena wouldn't do anything too bad to him, would she?

Rena nodded once, glancing at Mion one more time before moving over to the open room, which was clearly Keiichi's judging by what was inside.

"Mion," he told the green-haired demon. "You too."

Keiichi sat down on his futon, and Rena decided to sit across from him. Mion, on the other hand, wandered over to her futon, and the orange-haired girl watched her the whole time. Mion ignored her vision and began to shake the lump underneath the futon. Keiichi was surprised to see that Shion was still asleep, though he figured that they probably just wanted a nap, as they were usually napping at this time of day.

"Nrrgh, what is it?" Shion's voice came from under the futon.

Mion glanced to Rena with uneasy eyes. "…Someone's here."

Shion shifted a little before sitting up in her futon, stretching her limbs out. Rena's eyes grew wide with shock when she saw the two of them together, realizing that they were both perfectly identical twins.

"…Rena, these are—" Keiichi began to explain.

"…I know who they are," Rena spoke before he could speak. There was some sorrow in her tone, and some in her eyes as well. "…They're Takeru's older siblings, aren't they? The ones that supposedly died." She gazed at them. "Takeru told me that his mother had twins that were killed before she had him. …They look just like him."

Keiichi was a little surprised that she knew already, but he figured that that made things a little easier for him. "Yeah, that's right."

Silence followed for a few moments. Rena was gazing at them, observing them with slight sadness in her eyes as they looked back at her curiously. "I'm surprised. Did Oryou-sama turn them into demons?"

Keiichi nodded. "Yeah. You see, Oryou never killed them. She… she took them down into the demon basement after they were born and turned them into demons. She's been keeping them locked up for years, and when I found them, they were in terrible condition." He sighed. "…They hadn't been fed in a long, long time, and they were being treated terribly. They… they said they hadn't been taken outside once, and that they weren't allowed to own anything." Keiichi felt bad about telling her all this. He felt like he was admitting a crime to her. "…But Rena, please understand! I couldn't leave them, I had to let them escape!" he cried out, scared of what she would think of him. "I swear! I'm not a bad person! Really!"

Rena turned to him, giving him a sad smile. "Did you really think I was mad at you?" she asked him. "I understand, and I think I would have done the same thing." She focused her vision back on the two twins. "What are your names?"

Mion fidgeted. "I'm Mion."

"I'm Shion," replied Shion.

"And my name is Rena," she told them both. "It's nice to meet you!"

The twins looked at each other, feeling a little uneasy. Was it really okay to be talking to this person, when Keiichi had told them not to let anyone else see them? Would this person send them back to the cold basement?

"Rena," murmured Keiichi.

"Really, don't worry," replied Rena, looking at him. "I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about. I think I know why you would take them. After all…" Rena paused for a moment, then allowing a huge smile to break out on her face. "…They're both sooo cute!" She ran up to the two of them and hugged them tightly, startling them. "I would have taken them home just like Keiichi-kun if I saw them first! Hau!"

Keiichi chuckled. "Rena, you're scaring them."

Rena pulled away, giggling a little. "Yeah, sorry," she said, gazing at the two of them, who both looked very, very confused as to why she had just done that. "Forgive me. It's a habit of mine, you see. When I see something cute, I have to take it home with me!" she explained to them. "And you too are both very cute, and very beautiful as well!"

Shion and Mion were having a hard time understanding why she would want to do that. It just didn't make very much sense in their heads.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Rena," spoke Mion with a smile on her face.

Rena seemed startled for some reason. "Yeah, it really is!"

The three girls all laughed. Keiichi was glad that Rena seemed to understand why he had taken the demons, and it seemed like she wasn't going to tell anyone about it. At first, he had been concerned, but really, who did he think Rena was? She was his friend, and friends didn't blab about secrets unless they were something involving murder. He had a good reason, and that was all that mattered.

"Well, I won't tell Takeru-kun, though I'm supposing you were the one that stole his demons before. You know, when we were talking about Kimiyoshi and the possible connection to the children kidnapping case?" Rena said to him.

Keiichi stiffened. He didn't like to think of himself as a criminal for stealing demons. Rather, he preferred to think of his actions as good. It didn't matter that he stole them, because he truly was helping them. He didn't like to be categorized with the people that stole demons for their own greedy needs. He was different from them, after all. "I suppose you could say that, but it was really for their own good. It's not like I wanted to sell them for a ton of money or anything like that," he replied as he gazed at the two demons now engaged in a conversation.

"I can understand that," replied Rena. "So don't worry about a thing. I won't tell him! You know, I would have done the same exact thing if I found them…" She paused for a few moments, a dark expression growing on her face. "But does Takeru-kun know?"

"He sure does," sighed Keiichi. "But he apparently hasn't done anything about it. They've been treated horribly, and he hasn't taken action to stop that as the heir to the Sonozaki family. Of course, I don't think he's involved with the demons all that much. They were both in horrible condition."

Rena sighed. "I know Takeru-kun well, and he really doesn't have much say in the demons. Yasuo-san is the one who takes care of the demons. He's Takeru-kun's father's brother, so his uncle. I don't know him very well, but he has this intimidating, dark presence to him." She stared at the two demons, a dark look plaguing her blue eyes. "He must not have been very nice to them. Poor, poor Mi-chan and Shi-chan…"

"Mi-chan? Shi-chan?" Keiichi repeated, a little confused.

Rena nodded, smiling. "I just decided to call them both that now! Aren't they cute names for the two of them?"

"Of course they are!" laughed Keiichi. It was so like Rena, calling someone something that sounded cute in her ears. He was glad that she didn't mind the presence of the two of them, and that she wasn't accusing him of doing anything wrong at all. She hadn't scolded him or anything like that, much to his delight. "You of all people would certainly make up cute nicknames for others! Of course, the demons themselves have decided to call me 'Kei-chan.'"

The orange-haired girl looked from the two demons to Keiichi, and then back again, and then back again. "It's kind of funny, though. I've never seen a demon with so much… emotion, before." Keiichi's interest immediately sparked when he heard her speak the word 'emotion.' "Demons don't have emotion. No demons do. The reason why they don't is because humans forced them not to so that they would comply with their orders. If they had emotions, they probably wouldn't listen to a request like 'go kill the little boy standing right there' or 'go steal that wallet from that poor old lady.' But these two seem different," she looked at them. "I've never seen a demon smile before. It scared me when Mi-chan smiled at me. It really did."

Keiichi was most interested in what Rena was telling him. Was it true that no demons had emotions? So it wasn't just Mion and Shion, then? Still, her explanation made sense. They couldn't feel bad for their victims when they killed them, nor could they feel a sense of guilt. _Still, though, it doesn't mean they don't have them. _"I know that these two clam they don't have emotions… but I know that's wrong. I'm going to teach them how to feel them."

Rena blinked at him. "Huh?"

"Watch," Keiichi said to her. He got up from his spot and went over to the drawer placed near the front of the room. Fishing around in one of the drawers, he pulled out a deck of cards. "Hey, Mion! Take a look at what I have!" he called to her, showing the deck of cards to her.

Instantly, a grin spread across her face. "Oho~. Did you want to challenge this demon here again? Do you think you can beat me?" she taunted.

Keiichi smirked. "I can beat you, because there aren't any marks on these cards."

Mion's eyes grew wide with realization. "Ah!" She cursed underneath her breath as she slammed her fist down on the floor. However, a smile broke out across her face moments later, one filled with her usual mischievousness. "Haha! Well this demon here could beat you anyways! I could beat you no matter what! I could beat you with a deck with tons of scratches on them, and I could beat you with a deck that was completely clear of any scratches! Bring it on!"

Rena was surprised. "Wow, she gets very excited when you speak about cards. Is it one of her hobbies?"  
>The brown-haired boy nodded once. "There's the proof, Rena, and now, I'm going to have to show them what it means. Bare with me if this doesn't work," he told her before sitting down on his futon, placing the deck of cards out before the two demons. Mion and Shion moved so that they were directly in front of it, staring down at it with excitement in their eyes, though Mion much more so than her sister.<p>

"Mion," Keiichi said, surprising the green-haired demon. "Tell me, do you feel warm when you're playing games?" he asked her.

Mion shook her head. "I feel warm when I'm with sis, but not when playing games."

"Okay, do you feel anything in your stomach at all?" Keiichi asked, thinking of the excitement one felt within them. It wasn't quite the feeling of happiness, but it was pretty close.

She crossed her arms and thought about that for a little while, slight puzzlement across her face. It was hard for her, Keiichi knew, but she was certainly trying to come up with something. "Well, when I see the cards, there's this feeling within me. …I can't even describe how it feels, but it makes me want to play the cards, and then there's this spark… I don't know how to explain…"

Well, that was a start. That was probably the best way to describe excitement, Keiichi figured. It was hard for her, and it was pretty hard for him to describe it. "Well, you see, Mion, that's called excitement. It's something you feel when you really want to do something, I suppose." That was a terrible way of describing it, but what could he say? "It's when you're really eager to do something."

Mion titled her head to the side as she tried to comprehend what he just said. Excitement wasn't as hard to grasp as happiness or love, or any extremely powerful emotion such as that. "Oh, I think I get it. So, when I feel something like a spark in my body that makes me want to do something, that's called excitement?" She looked down at the cards. "…Ha, then I'm excited to play!"

A huge grin broke out across Keiichi's face, feeling victorious. "See, Rena? I'm going to do things like that until they both recognize their emotions. That's just a start, but I'm going to work to grasp onto other concepts, like happiness, sadness, and love. That's far away, though. I have to work on emotions that are a little easier to explain." He sighed. "I tried explaining love to them, but it didn't really work."

"Well, love is hard to understand sometimes." Rena looked a little dark as she thought about her situation with Takeru. "…You have to find something that you really feel love for and explain it. Like, I don't know, what I feel when I'm around my dad. I really love my dad." She then shook her head. "But that's a different type of love than some kinds of love. Like, there's also romantic love. That's going to be very hard to explain to her if she isn't IN love with anyone."

She was right when she said the best way to explain things was to use an example. He had been using the cards as an example of excitement or happiness, and he had been using the twins to explain the concept of love. The both loved each other. With some emotions, it would be hard. How was he going to explain that there were two types of love of her? Would they just not understand half of it? Rena was right when she said it would be complicated.

"But I'm ready for that. I've already taught her excitement," Keiichi told her, clenching his fists. "I don't want to talk about love to her right now, as that's complicated, but you see, with emotions like excitement, I can explain things to her."

Rena raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Keiichi-kun. You're good. Do you think you can do that?"

Keiichi nodded. "Of course I can." He turned to Shion. "Shion! Do you feel a spark when you see cards, too, or is that just your sister?"

Shion laughed. "Well, I guess so, but not as strong as her. She's got a real thing for cards, you know. Not only that, but any other games, like the thing you taught us yesterday. Tag, was it?" she spoke, recalling events from the day before. "But still, I think I know what you mean when you say there's a spark. I can feel it slightly, too."

"That's excitement," he explained to her.

"I think I understand, too," Shion spoke with a smile on her face. "Excitement, huh? It's a spark, kind of? And it's when you want to do something? I'll remember that."

Rena looked over to the boy next to him. "Wow, I think you can do it!" She then smiled at him. "Do you mind if I come over here again sometime? I think I could help out a little with them. I mean… they don't have any clothing aside from those kimonos, do they? I could get some more for them, since you're a guy and you don't have any girl clothing."

"That would be nice. I'm sure they're tired of their kimonos. Thanks, Rena!" cried Keiichi.

There was still a long way to go, but Keiichi knew that this spark he had taught them about was a good place to start at. They knew what excitement was now, and it didn't take him too much explaining. At this rate, he would be able to teach them emotions. Sure, there were more powerful ones like happiness and love that would take a lot of effort to explain, but he decided that he'd take things a little slow. The first key to their emotions had been discovered, and the first bolt unlocked.

He would just need to continue on from there.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2  
>Wait a moment, Crimso finished a chapter at 12:48:30 in the <strong>_**afternoon **_**instead of three am in the morning? Yes, it's true. I swear that this is the first time this has happened. Well, I uploaded a chapter in study hall once, and one time in New Media last year for GED, but really, most of my updates are at two AM in the morning. Finishing in the afternoon is almost unheard of! I was going to upload this last night around two thirty AM, but I got really tired and stopped writing. It was one of those times where you just can't go on, you know?**

**And yes, Mion and Shion's development will be slow, but hey, at least there was something there. By the way, I love hearing predictions, so tell me what you think is going to happen with their development! Oh, and Takeru and Rena's relationship, too.**

**I don't have much to say, but please review as usual! I'm giving out another Rena plushie, but this time she has a different outfit. Yes, I know, lame, but you want one anyways! I really do prefer the outside of school outfits to the outfits they wear at school. Except for Rika. But otherwise, I think jeans look much better on Mion, and I prefer the dress Rena wears. Plus Keiichi looks cooler in his outside outfit. But I'm getting off topic. If you find typos, you can have some more food from Rena, but this time, double the amount that you had before. Yes, I'm not creative with this, but who cares? **

**I cannot make this any longer. I have somewhere to be in forty minutes and I must watch the new episode of Fate/Zero**

**~Crimso**


	18. Chapter 17: Strategy

**Crimso's Notes:**

**So I'm just saying this, It's Tuesday and I just finished my science test which went… okay. I hate multiple choice questions because I always start to notice when a letter hasn't been used in a while, then I get paranoid If I see patterns… yeaaaah. You get he point. I'm saying this because while it's Tuesday while I'm starting this, I doubt it'll be anytime soon when I upload this. I have a book report to do tomorrow… and I'm not halfway done with the book. Yeah, nice going, me. …I hope my science teacher doesn't see this. I'm in the seat that is directly in front of her desk. And I mean **_**directly**_**.**

**One: So, updates will be slowed because, well, school, as I mentioned above, and the fact that… well, I've come to the end of my "plans for BFB" notebook and now I just have the major elements left. And of course, I need space in between those elements. …(It's funny how I'm using the word elements. I just took a test on the periodic table…). So I'm TRYING TO figure this all out. Rest assured. This happened with GED, but I made it through with that, didn't I? We'll see. **

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Seventeen: Strategy **

Keiichi's eyes opened as he awoke from his dreams, then pulling himself up from the comfort of his futon. He blinked a few times, looking around until he spotted the clock on the wall. The time read one PM, and Keiichi was startled for a moment, until he remembered that it was Sunday. Sighing, he lay back into his futon and enjoyed how wonderful the fluffy sheets felt. He was really lucky to wake up to such comfort every morning, unlike how some of the demons were being treated. Mion and Shion never got this comfort until recently, and he doubted any of the other demons did either.

He stretched out his limbs as he got up from the futon, having had a good amount of sleep that night. His dreams, however, were a complete contrast to how much sleep he had gotten. In his dream, he had seen an alternate universe, one that was completely different from the one he was living in now. Mion was there. She was a human, though, not a demon. She was acting constantly like how she did when she played cards, and was a complete leader sort of person. She had been so happy in that dream.

Keiichi shook his head as he poured himself a glass of cold milk. Mion was a demon, and not a human. Such an image wouldn't ever happen. He swallowed the cold liquid slowly, hardly taking in its flavor as he dwelled a little more on the matter. If she could act that way, despite being a demon, then it actually _could_ happen. He just had to work for it.

Finishing up his glass, Keiichi decided that he would use the cards again to get Mion's emotions out. Shion would probably want a longer sleep, and she didn't get as happy as Mion did when she saw cards, so Keiichi figured he'd have to come up with some other way to get her to recognize the meaning of the word happiness. He wasn't sure what would do that, though. Now that he thought about it, he knew a lot more about Mion than Shion. Was she similar to her sister in terms of other activities? What other hobbies did she have?

He paused. Perhaps cards were becoming a little tedious. What if he were to use something else this time? Well, still a game, as that was something that Mion enjoyed, but some other kind of game. He had some board games from when he was little he didn't bother to get rid of, which he could probably teach Mion. Shion, while not being as enthusiastic about games, he figured would join in too. Perhaps his teachings would still work, even though games weren't her favorite thing ever.

He placed the empty glass on the table and walked back upstairs. He wasn't feeling all that hungry, and he was sick of instant ramen, so there was no point in getting any breakfast. He sat back down on his futon with a sigh as he observed the two sleeping twins. They seemed so peaceful. Had they ever had sleep like this when they were down in the basement? He doubted it.

He placed a single hand on his chin as he waited for the two of them to wake up. It would be rude to disturb them from such a peaceful sleep, he decided. The two of them were surely enjoying the comfort of being next to each other while underneath the warm sheets of the futon. He noticed Mion was shifting slightly in her sleep as she cuddled a little closer to her sister, enjoying the warmth. Smiling, Keiichi thought about how close the two of them must be. Really, it would be nice if he could have a sibling he was so close to.

_I guess that's why I have friends. _Keiichi sighed as he ran his hand through his brown hair. _Satoko and Satoshi are siblings. Rena isn't, and she seems to be perfectly happy with just her friends. Takeru on the other hand…_

He wasn't sure where Takeru stood with Shion and Mion. He clearly knew they were alive, but it seemed like he wasn't doing anything about it. Mion and Shion had been suffering for all their lives, and Takeru knew. _Perhaps… perhaps he thought that it would break his mother… to know that her children had been turned into demons and treated terribly. _

This was something he had considered before, and he found it to be the only logical answer. Takeru was the type of person who would do so such a thing, after all. He surely didn't want to hurt anyone by telling them that Mion and Shion were in fact alive, but they were suffering.

More stirring came from the futon, and soon enough, Mion was awake, rubbing her green eyes as she looked about the still dark room. She nudged her sister, who awoke slowly. She stared at Keiichi through the darkness of the room, blinking her eyes at him. He usually wasn't there around that time of day, due to school. "Kei-chan? You don't have anywhere to be?" she spoke before letting out a huge yawn.

Shion stretched out her arms with a gigantic yawn directly after her sister. "You're usually out at this time of day," she added on as she rubbed her head.

"No, I'm free all day. I figured we'd spend a little time together. I'm sure my friends are busy tending to other matters at home right now," he told them with a grin, thinking about the things he would do with them today. It was a little too risky to go outside in the early afternoon, but playing board games had no risk.

Mion looked interested. "Did you bring meat?"

Keiichi winced as soon as he heard her question. No, he hadn't brought meat, and it had been a little while since he had done so. Really, he felt guilty about it. _I'm not treating them like humans at all!_ _I'm feeding them every few days. That's not treating someone like a human! _The only problem was that the meat was _so _expensive, since it was good quality. He hated himself for not doing it, but he didn't have very much money now that he was trying to feed himself _and_ the two of them. "No," he admitted to the two of them. "I'll try to get you an extra big slab tomorrow, though. Promise."

Shion nodded. "Okay."

They seemed slightly disappointed, which made Keiichi feel hurt. He was neglecting his job. _I wonder how Rika manages to buy… what? Ten slabs of meat every few days? I guess she's rich though, so it doesn't matter. The Sonozaki family and the Kimiyoshi family have no excuse, though, for the same reason Rika is able to feed her demons every day._

No words were spoken for a while, until Mion decided to break the silence. "So, what are you planning to do with us today, Kei-chan?" she asked him curiously.

Keiichi allowed a grin to break out across his face as he stood up and turned to his closet. He flicked on the light switch as he began to rummage through the many objects he had contained in there. There were a few old board games, some of which he had forgotten how to play, but there was bound to be a few he still remembered. There was this particular board game that Keiichi enjoyed, one in which the players had to find a murderer using cards and clues, though he figured it may be a little funny for him to play with demons. He shook this thought out of his head. _They can be human too._

He took out the board game and set it down on the ground. Mion and Shion eyed it curiously, scooting over to take a good look at the cover. "This is a murder mystery game," he explained to the two of them, opening up the box.

He took out the character pieces, the game board, and the weapon pieces and placed them down. "It's really fun." He began to shuffle the cards as he looked at the two of them. "You see, I take three cards from each category and place them in the file in the center. I deal all the other cards. If you have one of the cards, it means that the card is not the answer to the murder. You have to figure out who the person is, where he or she did it, and with what."

He suddenly paused as he looked down at the cards. "Can you guys read?" he asked them, remembering that the two of them may be unable to understand the words that were written on the cards. If that was the case, he supposed he just had to settle for cards.

"The Head ordered servants to teach us," Mion answered.

Keiichi sighed with relief. At least the head was kind enough to order someone to teach her granddaughters things like that. He began to sort the cards into three piles based on what they were, and then shuffled again. He chose a card from each pile and slipped them into the "file" in the center, and then proceeded to deal the other cards.

"You write down what you have here," he explained to them. "If you have them, then it's not the room or the weapon, and if it's a person, they're not the culprit. Every turn, you make a guess, and the person on your left shows you one of the cards in secret, which mean that the card they showed aren't one of the things used. You have to figure out which three aren't in anyone's hand, and that's the solution!"

Mion nodded as she looked at her cards. She looked a little frustrated that it was impossible for her to read her sister's cards, as well as Keiichi's, due to there being no scratch marks or any indication. Of course, she hadn't even seen the game before, so she didn't even know how she was going to come up with some kind of trick to ensure her victory.

_This will be a fair match!_ Keiichi scribbled down the cards he held in his hand. He had a slight advantage, as he was familiar with the game. He felt confident that he could beat the two of them this time. He wouldn't lose to people who hadn't played this game before!  
>Mion looked down at the board and the pieces, confused.<p>

Keiichi sighed as he realized he had forgotten to explain the importance of the board itself. He picked up the two dice in his hand and showed it to the two of them. "These are dice. You roll them, and you get a number. That's the number of steps your character can move. You chose a character piece. If you're in a room, you can guess for that room. You can't make a guess about a room your character isn't in. Your character starts at the place where it indicates"

"That's a lot to take in," Shion muttered. "But I think I can do this!"

Mion looked down at the pieces, debating over which one she should take. "I want the blue girl," she decided, snatching up the piece.

Keiichi grumbled. She was closest to a room, so that meant she had less chances of not taking a guess on her first role. "I guess I'll take him," he said without thinking, snatching up the yellow character from the board.

Shion took the red piece and placed her at the staring point. She was looking from room to room, deciding on which one she should go to first.

Keiichi decided he would roll first. He sighed as he looked and realized he had only gotten a two. He moved his piece two spaces forward, annoyed that he would be behind by one guess. This put him at a slight disadvantage. Sometimes, people would be one turn away from getting the answer, and a turn before, someone would get the answer you suspected. This was sometimes because they were a turn behind.

Mion rolled, and with the advantaged of being closest to the room, she was able to enter the first room without a problem. "Uh… I guess I guess now. Hm… uh… the purple dude, the weird stick thing, and the room I'm in right now."

_I think she means the lead pipe. _Keiichi looked at his cards. Shion did the same. He indeed had the lead pipe, and as he was sitting to the left of her, he snuck over and showed her the card. Her eyes lit up as she saw it, and she began to scribble down what she had just seen excitedly.

Shion went next and moved her piece into the hall. She glanced at the cards she was holding, and then to the board, and then back again. "...The white piece, in the hall… I guess the rope."

Mion leaned over and showed a card to Shion, who wrote it down happily.

It was Keiichi's turn now. He rolled the dice and moved his piece into the dinning room. "Okay. I'm going to say my piece, the gun, and the dinning room."

Shion showed Keiichi her dinning room card.

Keiichi nodded and checked that off.

It was now Mion's turn again. She rolled the dice and ended up moving to the billiard room. Upon looking at her cards, Mion's face contorted into that of a person who was rather frustrated by her actions. It seemed to her that she had made a mistake. She looked at the board with a sigh, and then returned to her cards. She scratched her head and said nothing for a while, trying to figure something out. Silence filled the room for a few minutes, and Keiichi was a little curious as to why Mion was taking so long.

Suddenly, after a minute or two, a wide grin grew across her face and a spark of mischievousness was visible in her eye. "Red piece, wrench, billiard room!" she called out.

Keiichi showed Mion the card for the wrench, wondering why she was suddenly so happy. She had this smirk on her face that seemed an awful lot like the one she wore when she was playing cards…

With that, the game proceeded onwards. Many items had been checked off, and the game was coming to its conclusion. Despite the fact that he enjoyed the game, Keiichi always knew that he wasn't too good at it. He was just sure he could beat the two twins, as they weren't as skilled as him. He cursed under his breath as he looked down at his sheet, realizing that he hadn't come to a conclusion about even one of the three yet. By now, people usually realized what one of the cards in the center was. He still hadn't got a clue.

Mion still wore that smirk on her face. "Yellow piece, knife, billiard room!" she cried out. "Anyone?"

No one said a word.

She grinned as she wrote something down. Keiichi's heart almost stopped. Had Mion already gotten the answer? Well, that was fine! She couldn't guess the answer for another turn, and his was next after Shion! He could snatch this game up and steal her answer! Sometimes, people did that, and it bothered him to no end, but it was all a part of strategy, wasn't it?

Shion rolled her dice, again not reaching a room.

Keiichi smirked. It was his turn now! He would take this one from Mion! "Okay, I'm going to make my final guess! There's no turning back now! Yellow, knife, billiard room!" It seemed to him that the girls didn't really pick up on the names of the characters, so he had resorted to using their colors instead. He grinned wildly as he snatched up the file, opening it to reveal what would surely be his victory…

"Huh? What the hell is this?" he cried out as he stared at the cards. He had only gotten one out of three right, far from being correct. And yet, no one had had those cards when Mion spoke! What in the world was going on? He glanced at his answers once again, and then back to the cards. He hadn't gotten any of them, and yet, the answer was still wrong…!

Mion laughed as she moved her piece to the center, a smirk on her face. "This demon here is going to make her guess now. Green, knife, study!"

Keiichi looked at the cards in his hand. The first one was a picture of the green player, the second the knife, and the third the image of the study…

"What the hell!" he cried out. "How did you…? But no one had anything for the one you had guessed before…!"

Another laugh filled the air. "Haha, just because you two didn't have them didn't mean that I didn't have them!" She flipped her cards over, revealing what she had been holding this whole time. Shock filled Keiichi as he realized that the cards she had been guessing constantly were ones that she already _had. _She had been guessing cards she already knew weren't the answer!

"What the hell, Mion? How? _Why?_" he demanded

The smirk on her face refused to go away. "You get it, Kei-chan? If I guess things I already have, I have a better chance of receiving information I don't have. Like with the knife. I had the yellow piece card and the billiard room. When no one said anything about the knife, I could be sure that it was the knife! I discovered the others by process of elimination, while at the same time using the same method." Her smirk twisted into a smile, one filled with the pride of victory. "And it looks like this demon here wins again! You can't beat her!"

Keiichi's face was full of shock. He felt cheated! On the other hand, Shion didn't show any sign of being upset. She simply smiled at her twin and placed her two hands together. "Oh, it looks like sis wins again! No surprise there. I tried my best, but I suppose the outcome was obvious from the moment we decided we were going to play a game. Congratulations, sis!"

_How can she accept loss so easily? ! _Keiichi was still frustrated. He had been playing this game for years, and never once did that idea cross his mind.

Shion looked at him. "Ah, don't worry. After years of playing with sis, you'll realize that victory is impossible! She's too good!"

Keiichi's jaw dropped. _Still, how in the world can she accept that? ! You can't just accept that you'll never win! Shion, just who is this girl? ! Is she really a master of games like she claims to be? !_

Upon looking at Mion's smiling face as her sister congratulated her, Keiichi remembered what the point of playing with them was, aside from having fun. "Okay, so I have a question for the two of you. You two are probably annoyed by all these questions I'm asking you about this subject, but please answer." The two of them turned to look at him, curiosity in their green eyes. "Did you feel anything when you played the game?"

Mion and Shion said nothing for a while, contemplating on what the answer to that question was, exactly.

He sighed, deciding he would help them out a little bit. "Warm? Was it warm?"

They looked at each other. "I guess somewhat?" Mion responded, feeling uncertain. "Not the same kind of warm as sis, though. It's different. And it's not all that warm. It's kind of warm. But just a little."

He wasn't sure how to explain the concept of happiness to them, and the idea of it being a warm feeling may not be the best way to describe how people felt when they got it. "Sparks?" he asked them, thinking back to how they felt when they were excited about the games.

"…Not really a spark, but it felt similar," Shion answered.

Keiichi scratched his head. If that was how they felt what happiness was, then that was the answer. There was no point in coming up with some kind of different explanation. "Well, that's what's called happiness. It's a very basic emotion, one that's felt by everyone. How do I explain it to you…?" This was the hard part. It was hard to come up with a definition for it, as most people just knew what it was by heart. How was he supposed to explain something so natural to him?

"…Ah, I don't know. Just remember how that felt like, all right?" he told them both, giving up on the idea for now. "And remember that's called happiness."

They both nodded. "All right."

He'd come up with a definition for it later. For now, what he had done was enough. The two of them had learned what it felt like, but not what it meant. _But this is going to be hard. How am I supposed to explain something that's just natural to some people? I don't even know how to describe it. I just know what it is…_

He bit his lip. He'd come up with something, he was sure of that.

**~~~~X~~~~**

"And then I said to Satoko, 'your traps could probably kill a set of demons if they got close! You'll be fine in life!' Man, that girl is tough at times," laughed a male with green hair as he recalled pleasant memories.

The girl across from him smiled. "Satoko-chan is a wonderful person. I think without her, there would be something missing. You know what I mean?" she commented.

Takeru nodded his head in response to that. Satoko was really a irreplaceable part of their team. "She's the trap master of our team, the one with the most skill. We all have our different roles, I think. Satoko's the trickster, Rika's the cute child, Satoshi is the sort of shy person, and Keiichi's the one with a lot of determination. And well… I don't know about me! But for sure you're the beautiful one of the group, Rena!"

Rena's face flustered. "Hau…"

Again, Takeru was at it with the comments. Although the two of them were now in a relationship, Takeru hadn't dropped the use of his flirty lines and found it highly important that he reminded her of how beautiful he though she was every ten minutes or so. Right now, the two of them were over at the Sonozaki Manor, seated at a table. The boy had insisted that they didn't get anywhere near his room. Rena knew for a fact that it was dirty, and showing a girl a dirty room didn't seem all that right.

The two of them had been dating for a day now, and Takeru had decided that he would be a little affectionate with her. He had kissed her on the cheek a few times that day, showing off how much he loved the girl. However, Rena had different feelings. She hadn't kissed him once, and she was still debating over her decision. She would have to tell him her true feelings at some point. _But when will that come?_

"Rena?" spoke Takeru, realizing she had a dark expression on her face. "Is something wrong?"

Rena was startled and wiped that look right off her face. "Ah, sorry! It's really nothing. Anyways, where were we? Yeah, I think I agree with you there!" she scratched her head, pretending to ponder. "Um… I guess you're also sort of determined type? Maybe more of a leader type."

Takeru laughed. "Well, I _am_ the heir to the Sonozaki family, so it would make sense if you viewed me as a leader type. I'm training to become the leader of Onigafuchi, after all! There's a lot I need to do in order to prepare myself!"

"Of course! Being the head of the Sonozaki involves a lot of things! You have to support the festival, you have to lead a whole bunch of yakuza, and you need to take care of all those demons! Though of course, I guess that's not much now. You don't have any." She thought back to the two twins she had met yesterday, who were the older siblings of the boy across from to her. Did he know?

Takeru nodded. "I tried to stop her… but she was convinced she wanted all those demons dead. And so, now, there are no more demons! We had two, but…" he shook his head. "They were stolen by the damn Kimiyoshi…"

"Hau, you should talk to him, Takeru…"

Rena bit her lip. She knew the truth about the demons, and she knew that she couldn't say a word about it. Not that she wanted to, anyways. The fact that Keiichi had stolen the twins was a secret she was going to keep. Besides, Keiichi would get in deep trouble. He had only been trying to help the demons, and Rena agreed that it was more of an act of helping them than stealing them. She knew demons were never treated well, and the fact that Mion and Shion were Sonozakis broke her heart.

"I'm going to," he growled as he balled his fist. "I'm going to show him the wrath of a Sonozaki!"

Rena giggled. "I can't for you to tell me about the look on hi face. I'm sure he'll be shocked that you can stand up to him!"

"Ahaha, thanks!" he laughed, releasing his balled fist. "I think I'm going to leave it to my grandmother, though. She's better with those kinds of things. Have you seen her when she's angry? She can be scary! Haha… I mean, she killed thirty-something demons! That goes to show you how angry she can get." He sighed as he recalled memories. "Man, she didn't even spare one demon! She went and killed all of 'em! Didn't even give in when they begged."

"But I guess they didn't have a choice," Rena pointed out. "They were ordered not to protect themselves, right?"

Takeru nodded. "That's about right. She wasn't one bit nice to those demons! Didn't spare a single life! Not a single one!"

Rena forced herself to laugh a little. She knew for a fact, now, that the boy in front of her was lying about the situation. She spared Mion and Shion. Takeru was clearly trying to hide that fact. However, unlike Keiichi, she didn't even need to ask why he would want to hide it. Unlike him, she knew Takeru like the back of her hand. She knew exactly why he wouldn't want his mother to see the demons, and the reason killed her on the inside.

_Poor, poor Takeru…_

"Ahaha. I suppose she's right when she says that demons will bring doom to the village," Rena said, trying not to let her emotions show again. She had almost let them out before. She couldn't allow that to happen again. "I can see something big happening with them. You know, with all the legends of Onigafuchi and all that."

"I'm surprised that Koichi managed to defeat Makoto. He was a really strong demon king, wasn't he? Especially since he managed to get by Kenji, Kaede, and Kai. Those three are an unstoppable trio, even though they haven't really fought together since back then," Takeru commented, having been reminded about how his grandmother had gone and killed the great Kenji, one of the royal guards of the Demon King Makoto. "Of course, there's still a lot of legends. You know, like the one about the twins and the hero…"

Rena stiffened. "Takeru, what happened to your older siblings?" she asked him directly, despite knowing the answer.

Takeru looked shocked. "They died," he answered, his expression frozen to one of shock, not even changing in the slightest as he spoke those words. "My grandmother killed them after they were born. Don't know what they looked like or which gender they were."  
>"Were they really?" Rena questioned.<p>

Still, surprise, though Takeru actually managed to change his facial expression this time. "Yes. They're gone. Now please don't talk about this anymore. Rena, you know how much this hurts me…"

Rena indeed knew how painful the subject of the twins was to Takeru, so she decided to drop the conversation. She had just asked him to make sure that he indeed knew that the twins were alive, and judging by his reaction, he knew everything. Rena clenched her fists. She knew why he would do that, but it was still cruel to the twins. They had been tortured all their lives, and he hadn't done anything about it.

Yes. She was the only one who knew Takeru well enough to know that he was causing as much pain to the twins as they were inflicting him. Their very existence was something that hurt Takeru. It was a wound that would never be healed, a scar inflicted on his emotions.

_I know why… but that's still harsh, Takeru… It hurts them, just like it hurts you… _Rena thought as she clenched her fists once again.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**More development. Fun~. No but really, I know not much has been happening, but I assure you that that's not going to stay forever. I have a rather major event planned for a chapter or two away. Probably the chapter after the next one, but maybe in the next one. No word on that, but know that things won't be all development forever.**

**I love **_**Clue.**_** I use the same strategy as Mion did in this chapter. Surprisingly, people didn't know about it until I pulled it on them. I thought everyone knew about that. I used it so much that it became way too obvious about what I was doing and the answers I was getting became obvious as well. I'm working on fixing that. Really, I spent one game in the **_**same room**_** trying to figure out the culprit and the weapon, seeing as that was the only room I had. Nice going, me. Nice going. I loved when they played this in the visual novel (Onikakushi-hen, so that would be the first arc). It was hilarious. They played it a different way, though, which made it very complicated. They were using their own names and places around Hinamizawa, too. What I think was the best part, though, was when Keiichi came back from being investigated by Ooishi in the middle of the game and he had been speaking about the Sonozaki family and how Mion could be the reason for the chain of myserious deaths. As he walked back down the hallway, to the club, he thought in his head **_**"There's no way Mion's the culprit!"**_** The moment he walks in, Rena screams "MION'S THE CULPRIT!" which, needless to say, scares the heck out of Keiichi. Really, if only they had included these parts in the anime. **

**But that's enough about epic board games. My life has been better. My grades have been going up. I got a 90 on my math test, and I got a 90 on the science test I had finished taking when I wrote the beginning of this chapter. I love it when you get a good grade on something you think you didn't do well. It makes me happy. There was this one time last year where I had History quiz, and I literally knew nothing. I just kind of guessed, and I ended up with a 100. I still don't know what happened there.**

**This is getting too long, and I know you hate reading my ramblings, so I'm just going to tell you to review! If you review, you can get a board game of any kind. If you point out a typo, you can get **_**two**_** board games. If you write a prediction or include what you enjoyed the most about this chapter, you can get **_**three **_**game boards. I like hearing these things from you, really! They make me all happy on the inside. I'll see what I can write tomorrow. So much is going on. I love weekends. I can write, Fate/Zero comes out on Saturdays, Mirai Nikki comes out on Sundays... I mean, what can be better than weekends?**

**~Crimso**


	19. Chapter 18: Blood Flows Black

**Crimso's Notes:**

**Today was a good day! It's still 11:41:03, so I'm allowed to say that. It's not like it's one in the morning like when I usually start chapters. I spent most of the day with my camp friends. I haven't seen them since July, so that was **_**awesome.**_** I was planning on getting this up earlier, but as I said before… I was with my camp friends. Yeah, real life can be fun sometimes. I need to do things sometimes aside from write, so I hope you understand...**

**One: Yay, more slow development. Really guys, this will not last long. I don't think it will, anyways. I'm still trying to figure things out. I have major events, but I need to stuff things between them. You get what I'm saying?**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Eighteen: Blood Flows Black**

The doors to the Kimiyoshi Manor burst open, revealing a very, very angry Takeru. His expression was painted with pure rage, something that startled the old man who had been sitting in the room with his son. The sudden appearance of the young Sonozaki was a shock, as they weren't expecting any visitors, and the expression he was wearing was even more of a shock. They weren't sure _why_ he would look so angry.

"You two!" he practically screamed at them. "Give them back!"

Kimiyoshi blinked in surprise. "Give who back?"

"My demons! Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight!" Takeru demanded, his expression not softening even in the slightest. He had originally planned to ask his grandmother to come over and yell at them instead, but the old woman was busy with other matters. He supposed that he could be scary if he tried, too. "You guys were the ones that stole them from us! I order you to return them at once!"

Kimiyoshi's son looked incredibly offended. "And what makes you think that we stole your damn demons, Sonozaki brat?" he cried out as he stood up, looking at the green-haired boy with fury in his eyes that rivaled the other's. "We Kimiyoshi members are high-class! Do you think that we'd do something as low as to _steal_ from you? Besides, you deserved it. My father told me all about those two demons. They're your damn—"

"That's enough, Masaru! Sit down!" ordered Kimiyoshi.

Masaru, his son, bit his lip and obeyed reluctantly.

Kimiyoshi turned to face the green-haired boy, his expression slightly more calm. "You surely have a mistake, Takeru. We don't steal demons."

"It had to be you!" screeched Takeru, refusing to listen to the man in front of him. "You guys were the ones that wanted Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight so badly! You kept making offers, and every time you refused, you got rather angry with me, didn't you? You wanted those damn demons, so you took them from me! You just wanted them because you thought that identical twins would make a good part of your collection, yes? Well I'm sorry, but my grandmother is pissed off and we need those demons back!"  
>Kimiyoshi sighed and rubbed his temples. "Indeed, I was interested in those demons, but as a member of the great Kimiyoshi family, I would never steal. No one in the Three Great Families would be low enough to steal demons. Stealing demons and all that is for the poor, and not for the rich like us. We have enough money. We wouldn't steal a demon."<p>

"But still, I wouldn't sell you them! That's enough for you to want to go ahead and snatch them up!" protested Takeru, not giving up on the idea that the old man had stolen his demons. He was sure that the man had gotten his hands on his demons and locked them right up, replacing their nice spiked collar with one engraved with many patterns. Perhaps they had different numbers now, too. Whatever the case may be, Kimiyoshi surely had those demons with him, locked up in his giant demon storage area. He probably wasn't paying attention to them anymore. He had just wanted them because he thought that identical twins would look nice in his collection, after all.

Kimiyoshi shook his head. "Masaru, please take this man over to the demon storage area and show him the truth."

Masaru nodded, staring at the green-haired boy with a look of bitter hatred in his eyes. How dare someone like that suggest that _his_ family stole demon? They were Kimiyoshis. A Kimiyoshi would never steal a demon. Besides, what was the point in stealing them, anyways? It wasn't like they were going to do anything besides sit there and look pretty. "Fine," he growled with annoyance. "Follow me, Sonozaki."

The two young males wandered down the hallways of the Kimiyoshi Manor, eventually reaching the back of it where the demons were being kept. Masaru still wore a very, very annoyed look on his face, and Takeru didn't look the least bit pleased at having to be within a few inches of the person who supposedly stole his demons. Those two demons were special to his grandmother. He couldn't allow them to be stolen. She was understandably _very_ upset when she heard the news, and was now ordering the execution of the person who had stolen his demons.

Masaru took out a key, perhaps a copy that had been made so he could access it, and opened up the door. They stepped in the room, which gave off an awfully unfriendly and dark atmosphere. However, villagers of Onigafuchi were usually used to such atmospheres, as one, though a lot lighter, engulfed the entire village.

"You can go take a look down the hallways if you like. Let me know if you _happen_ to spot your precious sisters," spoke Masaru bitterly.

"Thank you," hissed Takeru.

He walked down the many rows of cells, looking inside at the many different demons that were contained inside. A lot of them were eyeing him suspiciously, and quite a few were screaming loudly, which was something normal for a place that contained many demons. The Sonozaki Basement used to be the same way, after all. None of the demons were too pleased at being kept in cells, in which they spent the whole day doing nothing except for begging for release and threatening their owners, and sometimes chatting amongst themselves.

He couldn't find any demon with green hair, though. None of the demons resembled either of his sisters in the slightest, much to his annoyance. Of course, he had only gotten halfway through the rows, so that could mean many things. Perhaps the twins were being kept in the back with the demons with higher numbers, like they had been in the Sonozaki Basement. It was possible that their numbers had been changed, as there was already a demon with the number twenty-seven and one with the number twenty-eight in the Kimiyoshi storage.

"Hey, who the hell are you?" hissed a demon as she spotted the boy walking down the halls.

Takeru looked at her. "Sonozaki Takeru. I've been here before. I'm just looking, Number Forty," he told her.

"I think I've seen him before," whispered Number Thirty-Nine to the demon placed in the same cell as him. "Let's just let it be. Kai hasn't said anything, so we shouldn't either…."

Number Forty grunted, but reluctantly decided to listen to the other.

He continued on his way down the cells, though he still couldn't find his sisters. He was at the last cage now, which was currently hosting Number Forty-Nine, Number Fifty, and Number Fifty-One. There was no sign of any demons with a higher number, or any demons that looked like his sisters. He sighed as he folded his arms over his chest. Had he really been wrong about Kimiyoshi stealing the demons? His grandmother seemed convinced when he told her, too, as the part about Kimiyoshi wanting to buy them seemed suspicious. Of course she was furious when she heard that. Like hell she was going to sell her granddaughters.

"You," he spoke to the three demons. "Have you possibly seen two demons that looked exactly alike coming through here? They're Sonozaki demons. They have green hair and green eyes."

Number Fifty looked over to Number Forty-Nine. "I don't think so. I spent a lot of my time sleeping, though." She shrugged. "I doubt it, though."

"Haven't seen any. Fifty-One might know, though. He hardly sleeps," Number Forty-Nine answered. She turned herself around to look at Number Fifty-One, who was currently trying to engrave something in the wall for whatever reason. It was a strange action, but neither demon bothered to ask why he was doing it. "Hey, Number Fifty-One," she called to him, "have you happened to see two demons with green hair and green eyes? They look exactly alike, and they're Sonozaki demons."

Number Fifty-One turned around from his engraving, and slowly shook his head, almost as if robotic. He then turned back to his engraving and began to scratch at the surface of the wall with a rock.

"Don't mind him," Number Fifty replied. "He's been at that for days. He's like any other demon when he's out of his cell, but he does this when he's in here." She shook her head. "Don't know what he's trying to engrave, though."

Takeru sighed and walked away, not even bothering to thank the two of them. He walked over to a cell that was built in the corner of the room, almost hidden from the others. There, in the cell, sat a blue-haired demon who was doing absolutely nothing. He looked bored, but then again, when _didn't_ he look bored?

"Kai," he spoke to the demon, who instantly turned around when he heard his name. "Has your master brought in a pair of identical demons? They have green hair and are both female," he asked him.

Kai stared at him. "No. No demons have arrived since Number Fifty-One," he informed him.

Takeru blinked. "Well then, is that a lie? Has your master given you an order not to tell anyone about them?" he asked once again, his voice becoming a little harsher.

Kai blinked, though his expression did not change. "I have received no orders such as that one," he replied in his dull, emotionless tone.

Takeru sighed. If Kai said so, it was highly possible that he had been wrong all along. _I guess I misjudged them. _Takeru thanked the demon and turned around, beginning to walk back to the front. He felt sorry for having yelled at Kimiyoshi and Masaru before, since they really were guilty. The Kimiyoshi family didn't seem like the type to steal, anyways. Perhaps having fifty-one demons was enough for them. He met up with Masaru again, who was still wearing a rather annoyed expression on his face. Of course he had been offended by Takeru's words, as his family had had no involvement with the stealing of the twins.

"I'm sorry," he told him. "It appears that your family really doesn't have anything to do with the disappearance of my demons."

"Of course not," grumbled Masaru. "We're Kimiyoshis. Do you think we're low enough to steal demons?"  
>Takeru shook his head. "I guess I was just angry. It seems wrong that the Kimiyoshi family would steal demons. I'll report this to my grandmother and possibly pinpoint another suspect. I need to have those demons back soon, as my grandmother will be very upset if I don't show up with them." He let out a sigh as he envisioned how angry his grandmother had been when she ordered him to go discover who had stolen her granddaughters. When he came home and informed her that the Kimiyoshi family was innocent, she would probably melt with anger. "I'll find that thief soon. For now, accept my apology."<p>

Masaru's face softened a little bit upon hearing his words of apology. "Well, I guess I accept your apology. Good luck finding your sisters."

"Thanks," replied the green-haired boy as he walked out of the storage area and back down the hallways. He had failed this part of his mission, but that didn't mean he would stop here. He had to get those demons back, as his grandmother would be furious if he didn't. Perhaps she would go as far as to disinherit him. It didn't seem surprising for her to do such a thing. She really did love those two demons, even if she didn't show it. It made him wonder why she locked them up in the first place.

_Don't worry. I'm going to get those two back… no matter what it takes! _

**~~~~X~~~~**

Rena hummed a small tune to herself as she ran a comb through Mion's green locks, undoing the many knots and tangles that were in it. How long had it been since she had combed her hair? Whatever the case may be, Rena noted that her hygiene wasn't the best. She sighed as she tried to brush the comb through a gigantic knot in her hair, though she was having trouble doing so. Mion was fidgeting a little, not liking the feeling. It hurt a lot.

"Ah, got it!" declared Rena as she finally pulled the comb through the knot. "Your hair is getting better, Mi-chan, so just wait until I get this one knot down here…"

Mion sighed and held still.

On the futon next to the one Rena was sitting on was Keiichi, who was swapping between watching what she was doing and reading a slightly amusing magazine. Shion was busy playing with a strand of her green hair, wondering if it would take as long for Rena to brush her hair. She had been working on her sister for a long time now, and was not yet done. Perhaps she was almost done, but there were still quite a few knots to be combed through.

"You're doing great, Rena! Thanks for helping me with this," Keiichi said as he smiled at the orange-haired girl.

"Thank you Keiichi-kun!" she replied as she focused on Mion's hair, trying to get a small tangle undone. "Ah, Mi-chan, please stop moving! I know it hurts, but you'll be all better soon, and you'll look really beautiful! Not that you weren't before, though."

Keiichi chuckled a little bit at the sight before him. He was really grateful for Rena's help. Today, she had decided to work on their appearance. First off, she was to brush their hair to get all the tangles and knots out. It had been rather messy over the last few days. Second off, she was going to change them into better clothing. Their kimonos were now covered with dirt and other stains, and they were beginning to smell quite a bit. She had a few more things planned, though Keiichi couldn't quite remember what they were. Whatever they may be, Rena's plan was to make the two of them look as beautiful as they should be.

"All right there, Mi-chan! It looks like your knots are gone! Let me just brush it a little more, and you'll be all done!" Rena informed the green-haired demon as she continued to run the comb through soft green locks. Mion fidgeted a little more, relieved that she wouldn't have to go through the pain of having her hair tugged at by the comb, though annoyed at having to do nothing but sit there for a while. The last few days of her life had been spent doing everything she wanted to do that she couldn't since she had been locked up, and hadn't really consisted of standing still. It would be easy for the Mion that had been locked up for seventeen years, though it was a little tougher for her now.

"There! Shi-chan, it's your turn now!" she called out to the other twin as she nodded to Mion, indicating that she could go now.

Keiichi was about to look up from his magazine, but Rena shot him a glare. "Don't look, Keiichi-kun! I'll show you them when they're all done! Just go back to reading whatever you're reading!" she ordered her.

At first, he was scared of how powerful the glare was and quickly went back to reading his magazine before he could get even the slightest look at the green-haired girl before him. Why he couldn't look at them, he would never know, but it was apparently important. He flipped through the pages with boredom, finding that the magazine wasn't all that amusing anymore. The only sound in the room was Shion's slight yelps as Rena roughly combed through the knots in her green locks as well as Rena informing her that it wouldn't hurt all that much if she didn't move around.

"Ah, Keiichi-kun. I forgot to tell you!" cried Rena as she momentarily stopped brushing the younger twin's hair. "Go take a look inside the front of my backpack. Not the middle, the front. I brought you something from the library you may want to take a look at."

Keiichi nodded once as he turned to Rena's backpack, which was placed against the wall of his room, though he was careful not to get a look at the green-haired demon sitting on the other futon. He unzipped the front of the backpack and began to fish around inside of it. His hand soon grasped onto something that felt kind of like a book, and he pulled it out. It was indeed a book, but he was shocked when he read the title.

"Koichi's Demon Book? Rena, you checked this out from the Okinomiya library?" he asked her in disbelief.

"I sure did. Read it, Keiichi-kun. If you want to get a better grasp on demons, I suggest you do."

Keiichi opened up the red cover and flipped through the first few pages, which were the ones he had already read when he went to confirm the existence of demons during his first days in the village. After skipping that part, he began to read a little more about them.

_Demons are hostile. They live mostly in the woods of Onigafuchi and will not come out into the village unless food is low. Then, they kill a mass amount of humans and return to their spot in the woods, where they have a giant feast. This fills them up for a good while, and if they get hungry, they eat the leftovers. Usually, demons with higher positions are given more to eat, such as Makoto and the three guards. _

Keiichi blinked at the page. That was probably why people didn't bother feeding demons all that often, but a single slab of meat couldn't compare to a human feast. Did they even realize that?

_No demon will ever become close to a human. All demons despise humans. They are sick, twisted creatures that no one can ever grow to like. They will not hesitate to kill a human, and if they do get close to one, it is likely that it is a trick and they are simply after your blood._

That wasn't true. Mion and Shion were good demons, and he doubted that they were after his blood. Perhaps it was because they were turned into demons. Really, the two of them weren't very hostile. _Of course, it may just be because they were ordered not to kill anyone. But if that were the case… would they kill me if they hadn't been? _He quickly shook the idea out of his head. The reason why they wouldn't kill was because they were good people. They would never harm him.

The rest of the next few pages were about how terrible and cruel demons were to humans, so Keiichi skipped over them, finding no interest in how they thought demons were. He knew that not all demons were how they described them to be, such as Mion and Shion. A good few demons he had seen in the Kimiyoshi storage looked friendly enough, and it didn't seem like they were as they described them in the book. Of course, this book was written by Kimiyoshi Koichi himself, so it was incredibly biased against them. No villagers back then knew that demons could be nice creatures.

The next section was on the capture of demons. He didn't go into the details on how he had defeated Makoto, but he wrote that anyone who wanted to know should look in the Onigafuchi legends book. He shrugged. It didn't really matter to him, after all.

_I rounded up all the demons after Makoto was dead, and began to distribute them. I decided that I would give one royal guard to each of the Three Great Families, and the rest would be given out between them. I figured that if any other family wanted some, they could buy them from me. I took most of them, but gave a fair few to the Sonozakis and the Furudes. I decided that, of the royal guards, I would receive Kai, and that the Sonozakis would get Kenji, and the Furudes would be given Kaede. _

_ Demons were sold at a high price, and eventually I gained enough spare money to build a storage connected to the manor. I placed them in many cells built into it, and kept them there for a while. They don't do much, but if we were to let them go, chaos would flood the village once again._

Not all that interesting, but it was something. Keiichi flipped the page.

_When we enslaved demons, we took something from them. We removed their emotions. The reason why we did this is because they would then be forced to listen to everything we say, and would not try to go against us. They cannot attack us if they are under our control, and they cannot disobey orders. They won't feel bad if we ordered them to kill another demon that was close to them. This is a part of their enslavement. No demons have emotions and it is impossible for them to show any signs of this._

Keiichi clenched his teeth. Koichi was wrong. All demons had emotions. He just thought that they didn't. Perhaps the whole thing about taking away emotions hadn't worked entirely, and there were still a fair few demons that had emotions. There were a few demons that seemed like they didn't have them at all, like Kai. That demon never changed his expression and always used the same tone of voice. He never objected to orders nor did he ever show any signs of wanting to be free from the hold of humans.

Mion and Shion were different, though. He just needed to work a little more on them, and their emotions would be clearly visible.

"Ahaha!" cried Rena as she placed the comb down, smiling at the demon before her. "Shi-chan is all done! Now, come to the bathroom with me. I brought you a change of clothing. It'll feel nice! All that dirt and smelly stuff will be gone, and you'll feel refreshed," she told them both as she stood up. And then, with the two demons, she walked out of the room.

Keiichi smiled slightly. _Thanks, Rena. I'm sure they're going to love not having to wear that old kimono. It hasn't been changed since they got here, and who knows how long they had been wearing it for before that._

He went back to his reading shortly after this.

_Demons cannot be happy, and they cannot be sad. They are unable to feel any emotions, and they can't understand the emotions of humans. They are unable to love anything or feel affection. They have nothing, and are now simply a tool for us to use. They have no purpose in life other then to serve us, the mighty humans. We now have complete dominance over them._

He doubted that was true.

_And, because of the lack of emotions, it is said that a demon's blood flows black and not red. This is more proof of how they are inhuman and are our slaves._

Keiichi felt his blood boil. This guy was really getting on his nerves. He was speaking of humans as if they were so much better than demons, and that no demons were good and their only purpose in life was to serve humans. That wasn't true! He wished he could punch this guy in the face for saying all these things about demons. He hadn't ever gotten the chance to know one. While he knew some were bad and wicked, there were many who were good at heart.

And what was this about a demon's blood flowing black and not red? Something like that had to be a lie. It just didn't make scientific sense. Because a demon didn't have emotions, it meant that their blood was…_ black?_ Really, who had come up with these things?_ Come to think of it, though, I haven't seen a demon bleed before. Kai had cut himself to allow his blood to flow into that man's, but I wasn't able to get a look at the color. Is their blood really black?_

Before he could think anymore about the subject, the door to his room slid open, revealing Rena smiling happily. Keiichi closed the book, having heard enough of the lies contained in it. She looked behind her and whispered something to the demons, though Keiichi couldn't see either of them. They had taken an awfully long time, hadn't they?

"Close your eyes, Keiichi-kun. I'll tell you when to open them," she told him with a wink of the eye.

He wondered why he had to do that, but he obeyed nevertheless.

Keiichi could hear footsteps as they entered the room, and slight whispering from both the twins and Rena. He couldn't make out what they were saying, though. Was there some sort of surprise she was planning? It didn't make sense to close his eyes otherwise. Usually, this was told to people when someone was about to show them a huge surprise, like a gift or something similar. However, this wasn't a gift or a surprise or anything like that.

"Open!" cried Rena.

And so, he did. When he got a good look at the twins in front of him, he gasped. Rena had really done a good job of cleaning them up.

Their hair was no longer tangled, and their skin was clean. Had Rena bathed them? Come to think of it, Keiichi had heard running water, though he didn't think much of it. There hair was slightly wet, so that added to his theory. They were wearing rather fancy black kimonos, both of them identical. However, what surprised him the most was what Rena had done to the their green hair. Rena had tied yellow ribbons in Shion's hair, and Mion's was now tied up into a long ponytail.

The ponytail looked stunning on her, really. She was absolutely gorgeous in that. He was shocked that he used such a bold word to describe a girl, but she really was. He had never thought that he would ever call a girl beautiful. _My cheeks are kind of warm… am I blushing?_

"Do you like it? I changed their hair because I thought that it would be easier to tell them apart," she explained to him. "But if Mi-chan were to pull her hair down, and if Shi-chan were to take her ribbons out, the two of them would look exactly alike! I didn't cut it or anything. I think that it would be nice to keep them looking identical. They are identical twins, after all, so I think it would be better to have them remain that way."

Keiichi nodded, though he couldn't find words. They were both stunning. Rena had done a great job.

"I… I…" he tried to speak. Still, though, he couldn't find words.

Rena grinned and giggled a little bit at his reaction. "I know, you think they're beautiful, don't you? You don't have to say it if you're shy about it." She turned to the two demons, grinning. "See, Keiichi-kun thinks that you two are beautiful!"

The two of them nodded and their faces remained the same, but upon closer inspection, Keiichi saw the faintest of blushes on Mion's face…

"Where did you get the kimonos?" he finally asked her, gazing at the two black kimonos that Shion and Mion were now wearing. They looked extremely expensive, and it was doubtful that Rena would have two extremely expensive kimonos that were exactly alike. Really, she would only need one.

"I stole them from the basement when Takeru was working," Rena told him nonchalantly. She seemed completely calm about the whole idea. "They were Mi-chan's and Shi-chan's, so it would okay. They're not going to use them for something else." Upon noticing that Keiichi looked rather startled by the whole idea, Rena just smiled. "Ah, you went down there often to talk to them, right? It's no different. I just brought Mi-chan and Shi-chan's stuff over for them. I have a few more kimonos that I took, so I'll bring those later for you to put in your closet."

He understood what she meant. Who was he to say anything, after all? He was the one who had stolen the demons. That wasn't nearly as bad as stealing a few kimonos.

"Ah, Mi-chan! Please remember to let your ponytail down when you're asleep. Same goes for you, Shi-chan. Take out those yellow ribbons when you're sleeping. Here, look. I'll show you how you can put them back on," Rena told them as she reached for Shion's ribbons, undoing them from her hair and beginning to explain how she could put them back when woke up.

Keiichi watched this with a smile. With their new hairstyles, Keiichi could tell them apart, unless Mion were to take her hair out of it's ponytail and if Shion were to remove her ribbons. Now, games like tag in which the twins liked to swap would be easier. It wouldn't be as easy as rotating their collars. It could take a little bit for them to switch hairstyles.

_But really… I love that ponytail on Mion. It really suits her. She's really beautiful…_

Keiichi blushed at that thought and shook it out of his head. Really, though, how could someone like them be as monstrous as Kimiyoshi Koichi described them as? Demons weren't all that bad. All that Kimiyoshi Koichi wrote was probably a fake, and what he had thought. It was an opinion. It was not fact.

_And that thing about blood flowing black… hah! As if!_

Really, who would believe in such a tale?

**~~~~X~~~~**

"Here you go!" cried Rika as she placed a slab of meat down on the ground of one of her cells. "That's some nice, yummy meat for you good demons! Now eat up! Nipah!"

The demons rushed towards the meat and began to tear at it with pure hunger in their eyes. A single slab of meat didn't last a long time for three hungry demons, and the need for more food grew quickly after a meal. Rika closed the door to her cell and locked it tightly before moving on to the next cage. When it was feeding time, none of the demons yelled or cursed at her. It was a nice demon for the demons, who always enjoyed to have something to eat.

"And here's another slab of meat for the hungry, hungry demons!" she yelled as she tossed another slab into the next cell.

"Rika, what's with the manor of speaking?" asked Satoko as she held up the bag containing all the slabs of raw meat.

Rika smiled. "Just for fun, Satoko! You don't always need a reason! Nipah!"

Satoko sighed. "You're so strange at times, Rika…"

Often, the young yellow-haired girl and her older brother would come down to help her friend feed the demons or with whatever else she needed help with. Her brother was busy cleaning out a cell, and the demons inside of that one had been placed in a spare for the time being. Having two good friends to help her really decreased the amount of work and time Rika had to spend on the demons. She didn't need unreliable servants when she had friends she could trust to do the job with her.

As Satoko handed Rika another slab of meat, who then preceeded to throw it into the cage, she began to speak. "You know, these demons become a lot calmer when you have food. Usually, they're yelling and shouting curses."

Rika nodded. "But there are a few that are nice. Like Number Thirty-Five!"

Satoko blinked. "But that's because she's five-years-old."

The blue-haired miko shrugged. "Still a demon."

"They're still not all that human like, though," Satoko said as she watched the demons devour the slab of meat that was given to them just seconds before. "When you talk to them, it's like you know they're a demon. It's something you can't shake off when you talk to them."

"I think most demons are like that," Satoshi's voice came from a cell. "I don't think I'll ever meet a demon who acts completely human. They'll always be a demon after all," he told them as he scrubbed the dirty floor. "I've never been able to become good friends with a demon aside from Kaede, really. But she's only that way because she's a head demon and has a name. I don't think normal demons would act that way."

"I agree," his sister's voice replied. "I don't think I'll ever see a demon that's like that. It would be cool, though."

Rika nodded. She looked about the demon storage area, finding that every single demon had received their food. "Satoko, if you would help your brother now. All the meat is gone, so I don't need anymore help with that!"

"Okay," Satoko replied as she ran over to the open, empty cell so that she could help her brother clean the floors and the walls.

Once she was gone, Rika went over to very, very back of the storage area. In the final cage stood Kaede, who had finished the meat that she had received already. She bowed when she saw Rika coming towards her, knowing that her master had come to speak with her yet again. The two of them would often converse about the fate of the village and how things were going, and it seemed like today it would be the same.

"Master," Kaede said.

"Kaede, tell me, how have the demons been when I'm gone?" she asked the orange-haired woman.

She paused for a few moments. "Ah, they've been all right. You know how a lot of them are. Number Thirty-Two can't get over the fact that he's trapped now. He's been a captured demon for as long as I have, though. Of course, he was bought from the Sonozakis, but that doesn't matter." She blinked. "He wasn't all that different under the rule of Makoto, though."

Rika shrugged. "Some people are like that."

"How's Kai?" Kaede asked, suddenly changing the subject. "I assume you know a little about how things have been with the Kimiyoshi family."

"Kai's being Kai," Rika replied, playing with a strand of her blue hair. "He's always being Kai. You never see him without that same, emotionless expression on his face and the same look in his really strangely golden eyes. He speaks in the same tone, and well… he's obeying Kimiyoshi's troubling orders. Doesn't even bother to complain about how much Kimiyoshi works him."

Kaede sighed. "As I thought. He wasn't all that different back then, either. He obeyed whatever Makoto said without question. He's someone that respects and obeys whatever his master tells him to do. That's why Koichi chose him, I think." She looked off into the distance. "He tried to defend Makoto from Koichi as best as he could. He has a scar from the fight on his back, and it's really nasty. The wound wouldn't stop bleeding. It just goes to show how dedicated he can be towards his master."

Rika winced. That must have hurt. "Was Kenji the same way?"

"Ah, yes. He obeyed Makoto all right. I did, too. It's too bad he's gone now. Only the two of us remain…" She shook her head. "I do not question what Oryou said, though. Has your friend said anything about what she thinks is going to happen in the future?"

"My friend tells me many things, Kaede, but she can't tell the future." Rika turned her head so that she could get a quick look at Satoko and Satoshi, but then returned her vision to the female demon in front of her. "I know something's going to happen. But what… I don't know."

Kaede nodded. "I understand. I shouldn't be pressuring your friend like that. Tell her I said I'm sorry for hoping she knows about what's going to happen."

"I will. Though, Kaede, didn't Makoto say something about the future of the village? Something about the twins of Onigafuchi," Rika recalled.

"Yes. Makoto told Koichi that twins shall be born, and that they shall destroy the village. But then, Koichi defied what he had been told. He decided that there would be a hero who would stop the twins in their tracks and save Onigafuchi. He called this person The Hero of Onigafuchi." She shook her head. "How much is true, I do not know. But I believe in Makoto's words. As for Koichi…"

"You don't know," finished Rika, understanding what Kaede was saying. "But Kaede, I would chose to believe in Koichi's words if anything. I don't know if someone like Makoto, a cruel demon leader would be correct. Who knows if the great demon leader was trying to trick us?"

Kaede looked up at Rika, a serious look in her eyes. "I don't know about that, Rika."

Rika blinked. "Huh?"

With a sigh, the orange-haired demon continued on. Her tone was serious, and there seemed to be some sort of nostalgia thrown in there."…There's a lot more to Makoto than you think, Rika."

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2  
>I wanted it to end there. I know it seems funny, but I wanted the chapter to end with those words.<strong>

…**Usually, when the title of the chapter is the title of the book/fanfic itself, that means something dramatic is going to happen. Nope. Not here. It was that way with Green-Eyed Demon, but that's because the title fit the chapter, and the title fits the chapter here. In the chapter Green-Eyed Demon, a revelation was made about the Green-Eyed Demon, hence the title. They talked about the legend of a demon's blood flowing black here, so that's why the title is Blood Flows Black. It's not an important chapter, but the title fits.**

**That's all I must say, so please review! Reviewers can get a model of the Furude storage area, and people who point out typos can get figures of random demons to fit inside! Keep in mind what I like to hear in reviews! I must go now. It's 12:25 AM, and I have banned myself from watching Mirai Nikki episode four until I finished this chapter. I have to watch it before I go to bed, which I NEED to do at 1 AM as it's Sunday.**

**Also, since it's 12:25… Happy Halloween! I hate it, personally, except for the dressing up part, but I hope anyone who still celebrates it enjoys it! I quit last year.**

**~Crimso**


	20. Chapter 19: Horns

**Crimso's Notes**

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL! Yeah, I bought all my candy. Well, we're eating the leftovers from handing them out. Yeah, Halloween isn't my thing, aside from the dressing up part. I don't have any costumes, though. …My Spanish teacher told me that I was dressed as a human instead of what I usually am, though. I don't know what he's implying. I asked him if that meant I was a demon before, and he looked away and said innocently "I didn't say anything."**

**One: After this chapter, I'm hoping the pace will pick up.**

**Two: Don't trust me on that one, though.**

**Three: It's the end of the quarter, and we're staring the second quarter. I don't think there will be too much work. **

**Four: Don't trust me on that one, either.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Nineteen: Horns**

The awfully strange sounds of footsteps echoed at gate the Kimiyoshi Manor as a figure walked towards the gate. It was around twelve AM in the morning, and everyone in the household was fast asleep. He carefully opened the gate, the sound of the creaking metal barely making a sound. He looked around the area, making sure there was really no one there, and then continued onwards towards the great house.

It only took him a about few steps to reach the entrance of the Kimiyoshi Manor, as the garden that was owned by them wasn't all that big. He placed his hand on the cool metal knob, then pulling the whole thing open. The man knew that the old Kimiyoshi didn't generally look the door so that the demons on patrol could get in and out; so breaking into the house was easy.

What wasn't, though, was fighting off all those demons.

The man did not flinch as a demon jumped out at him, glaring at him with orange eyes that pierced the night. The demon's claws were unsheathed and pointed at the man threateningly as he attempted to intimidate the man with his strangely orange eyes. "Intruder!" he hissed loudly as he showed off his white fangs, trying his best to scare away the thief before him. Usually, such a technique worked. While it prevented them from catching them, it certainly scared the heck out of anyone and sent them running away.

But when the man didn't move, not even to open the door, the demon began to grow slightly confused. "Hey, you! Get the hell out of here before I have to claw you to death! You don't want that, now do you?" he hissed at him, taking a few steps forward and reaching to grab his shoulder and dig his claws in it. "Hey, you, I said to—"

The figure drew a knife out and stabbed the demon right in the heart with intense speed, causing the demon to stumble backwards and fall on the ground. His eyes were wide with disbelief as the man drew the knife out of him, a smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry, Number Twenty-One, but your attempts to intimidate me are futile," he spoke as he looked down at the dying demon. He quickly pulled the knife out of the demon's heart, which was now slick with his blood. He smiled and watched as the demon took his last breath before lying completely still on the ground, his blood caking the outside of the manor.

Before he knew it, two more demons had surrounded him. They were both looking at him with fierce eyes, though they were full of a slight shock, as they hadn't seen a thief actually manage to kill a demon. The man smiled at them as he opened the entrance to the Kimiyoshi Manor, walking inside of it nonchalantly. It was as if he didn't even notice the two demons were behind him.

The first demon lunged from behind with claws as sharp as knives. The man didn't seem to notice him, so it would have been an easy kill. However, at the last second, the man flipped around and plunged the knife into the incoming demon, causing him to fall down to the ground with blood staining the wooden floors. Another demon lunged for him, and this time, the man didn't have time to retrieve the knife from the dying body of the other demon. He made a move to attack the man with a kind of martial arts move that you would see in action movies. He charged into the demon with his side and then punched him with brutal strength, causing him to fall down to the floor. With a swift movement, the man drew the knife from the now dead demon and stabbed the other.

The demon let out a dying shriek and then lay still. The man collected the knife again and dashed down the hallways with it in hand, the blood of many demons mixing together on the blade. He hummed a small tune to himself as he walked down the hallways, his shoes leaving bloody footprints on the floor behind him.

From out of nowhere, a demon charged at him from the front. The man punched him right in the gut and caused him to tumble over to the ground, the punch having knocked the air out of him temporally. He ignored the demon after that, deciding to spare him, and walked onwards through the manor. Another two demons lunged at him, but he simply raised his knife and slashed the both of them deeply, causing them to fall over to the ground. The wound wasn't fatal, but it could keep them on the ground for a while.

He was now running down the hallway, his bloody knife in his hand and demons running after him, screaming for reinforcements. Every time a demon went for him, he would either punch them or slash them. He didn't have enough time to stab and then retrieve the knives.

Finally, he came to the door he was looking for. Tens of defeated demons now lay on the floor, a few of them just knocked out and a small amount having died from blood loss. He was about to open the door when he noticed a figure come up from behind him, and he didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. "Kai," he said, still clutching onto that knife. "I know that's you.

"What have you done?" the demon asked the man in a unmistakably emotionless tone. Yes. No one else could have a tone so barren of emotion except for Kai.

The man smirked. "Kai, I think you should be tending to your fellow demons, shouldn't you? Number Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, and Twenty-Three are all dead. I believe Number Seventeen has already died of blood loss, and a few others in the front. Shouldn't you save them before you continue on?"

"I am loyal to my master. I have to protect this manor before I protect my other demons," he answered right away, raising his claws to the man.

And, much to his surprise, he turned around with the knife in his hand. "Ah, too bad. You made the wrong choice!" he cried. Then, with a swift movement, he lunged for the demon with the knife, though the demon managed to jump out of the way just in time. There was no doubt that he was skilled. The man pointed the knife at the head demon threateningly, the blood still dripping onto the ground and giving him a rather intimidating feel.

However, Kai, as usual, felt nothing from the man.

The man went for Kai again, stabbing and slashing at him and occasionally attempting at a martial arts move. However, Kai was too skilled. He would dodge each and every move without a problem. The man, however, did not seem to be troubled by this in the slightest. He continued to stab and slash, though each time failing to even injure the demon in front of him.

Finally, the man seemed to give up. He stood there, panting, as he stared at the blue-haired demon. For a moment, no interactions were given between the two.

And then, it happened. Kai charged forward at the man with great speed, his claws outstretched and ready to tear right through his human flesh. He was quick, and it was move impossible for anyone to dodge. He was about to attack, when he suddenly felt the man's fist come in contact with his stomach. He tumbled backwards, having lost his breath from being punched. The man smirked as he quickly lunged got down on the floor and plunged the knife right into the demon's foot before retrieving at it and slashing some more at it, creating deep cuts. It was enough to cause the demon to fall over, the blood loss pretty extreme.

"Don't die now, Kai," the man told him. "I still need you."

The man turned around and opened the door to the room Kai was attempting to protect. Kai's head moved as he tried to get a good look at what was going on inside the door, and what was going to happen now that he had failed.

And yet, his face still remained the same.

As the man stepped inside, the figure within the futon that was sleeping inside of it began to stir. He quickly sat up, rubbing his eyes as he tried to make out what was going on. The man before him was a skilled, silent fighter. He knew how to make moves without making too much noise. It was clear that he had practiced for a long, long time.

"H-Huh?" the old man said as he looked at the figure in the door way, making out the shape of a rather buff adult man standing there. As he observed him more, he noticed a bloody knife held in his right hand. Panic filled the old man as he tried his best to peer through the doorway, catching sight of Kai and a few other demons lying on the floor. "…Q-Quick! Kai! Take the other demons that aren't on patrol out right now!" he screamed desperately to the lying demon.

But the man in the door way smirked. "…It's too late now."

"…H-Huh?" was all the old man could get out of his mouth.

"…It's already over… Kiichirou Kimiyoshi."

And then, the man ran at him with the knife.

**~~~~X~~~~**

It was a bright and sunny morning in Onigafuchi. All the children were chatting happily about how they hadn't seen a day so beautiful in a long time. Sure, there had been other nice days recently, but this one seemed… different, for some reason. The atmosphere just seemed cheery today, and all the kids in the school were having a lot of fun joking with each other and chasing each other about the classroom.

"Cell number five… check!" Rika spoke as she scribbled something down on her piece of paper. "Cell number four… check! Cell number three… um… Satoko? Have we cleaned out cell number three in a while?" she asked as she turned her best friend, who was busy playing with a jump of clay she had gotten from the classroom art supplies.

Satoko shook her head as she concentrated on molding the piece of clay into a squirrel. She was busy working on the tail, which see seemed to be having trouble doing as her face was filled with annoyance. "Nope. We haven't done that one for a while," she answered as she tried making the squirrel's fur texture with her fingernails. "Number Ten, Eleven, and Twelve are pretty upset about their dirty cage, I think," she added on. "But when isn't Number Twelve upset? She's grumpy about everything."

"Some demons are just like that. I don't think any of them are happy to be controlled by humans," Rika replied as she began to scribble down a few more notes. "Meat in all cages… check. Cleaning in all… not done. I need to be testing these demons on their fighting skill."

"Furude demons aren't known for killing, though. I guess they're more like… defenders who don't kill, if you know what I'm trying to say…" Satoko muttered as she molded the tail of the squirrel a little more before moving to work on the tiny ears. Her eyes were set on them, her face near it as she narrowed her eyes. "I don't even know. But I think it would be best to train them a little more. Perhaps we can get the Sonozakis to help a little… "

Rika nodded. "I was planning on doing that. I don't know how to fight with a sword, but the Sonozakis are best with that. I could always get Kaede to teach them, though. Maybe that's a better option. Who knows if the Sonozakis want to help." She shook her head. "Besides, with all the demons they have now…"

"Yeah, I think that would be better. Has Kaede fought in a while?" Satoko asked.

Rika shook her head. "It's been a long, long time! Nipah!"

Meanwhile, at the back of the classroom, Keiichi was having a small conversation with Satoshi about the two small girls in the front. From what Keiichi was hearing, and from what Satoshi told him, the two of them helped out the Furude Demons and often came into contact with them. "They aren't all that bad," Satoshi said as he looked at the two young children at the front of the classroom. 'The Furude demons aren't all that bad. There are a few that are a little foul, but that's about it."

Keiichi blinked. "Ah, that's surprising."

Satoshi nodded. "Although there's something about them that constantly reminds you that they are demons, and not humans. You know what I mean?"

Keiichi thought of Mion and Shion right away. They acted like humans at times, but there was still that element that made them feel a little demon. However that only happened when he thought about them being demons. When he was playing _Clue_ with the two of them, the fact that they were demons was the last thing on his mind. Mion and Shion were different from most demons, though, so he wasn't surprised that Satoshi believed it was hard to think of a demon as not being a demon. He was still working on that, after all. He had been hesitant about letting demons play _Clue_ at first, but when he did, it didn't make a difference.

"I guess I get what you mean," replied Keiichi. "It would be hard to make friends with a demon." Of course, he knew that this wasn't true, but he played along so he didn't look suspicious.

Rena gave him a knowing look. She too knew that it was possible to be friends with a demon, as she had already become rather close to Shion and Mion only after meeting them twice. It was probably nice to girls her age around. There was no one else aside from the two of them, after all. She had gotten a blast out of dressing up the two of them.

"They look like demons. It's hard to forget about that," spoke Satoshi.

Keiichi blinked at him. "They look like humans mostly, though. With their claws sheathed and their mouthed closed, you 'd think they were human. The collars help us with that, though. I'm sure that back then, demons were able to trick humans into believing that they were human and killed off many of them that way," he said. It seemed like something that would work. It would be a useful strategy.

"Well, for most demons. There were some demons that had horns back then. For some reason, they're all gone now." Satoshi shrugged. "Kenji, the Sonozaki demon, had horns."

Keiichi hadn't heard that one before. "Really?"

Satoshi nodded. "Yes, really." Then, he changed the subject. "Where's Takeru?"  
>Rena pointed towards the front. Takeru was chatting with Rika and Satoko now, not having greeted Satoshi or Keiichi yet. "He was talking to me earlier. I guess that he's interested in what Rika and Satoko were talking about, as the Sonozaki family was mentioned. They were saying something about how they were cleaning demon cells and teaching them how to fight and that kind of thing."<p>

Satoshi blinked. "Ah, I should join them in that case. I'm sure I need to know about this." He waved a quick goodbye as he stood dup and walked towards the group of children.

Rena and Keiichi now sat all by themselves. They didn't say anything for a while, until Rena decided to speak up.

"That's not true, though," she piped up.

"What's not true?" inquired Keiichi.

"That no demons alive today have horns." She cupped her cheek with her hand as she drifted off into memories, her eyes wandering away from Keiichi to the ceiling. "You know, I was surprised. When I was putting Mi-chan's hair up into a ponytail, I actually found two, very, very tiny horns on the top of her head. They were very tiny, though. Like stubs. I guess they just started growing. I looked to see if Shi-chan had them too. She did. You wouldn't be able to find it easily. They were _so small._ Barely even visible!" she told him in a rather hushed voice, eyeing Takeru nervously.

Keiichi's eyes filled with surprised. He hadn't noticed that, either. He would have to take a look at Mion and Shion's heads when he got home. "Why is that, though? None of the other demons have horns."

"The way you turn a human into a demon is by using demon blood. A demon allows their blood to flow into a human's bloodstream, and it corrupts them and turns them into a demon." Rena turned away from looking at the ceiling to focusing on Keiichi's rather shocked-filled blue eyes. "Kenji had horns, just like Satoshi-kun said. Oryou must have used Kenji's blood to turn them into demons. I guess Kenji's blood had some sort of thing that causes them to have horns as well." She paused for a moment. "But as I said, they were very, very tiny. Kenji's were a lot bigger, but he was also a lot older. I guess that Mi-chan and Shi-chan's are going to become very big in the future."

Well, that could pose a problem. Mion and Shion could hide their fangs and claws, but if they were to grow gigantic horns… well, not so much. He supposed they could try to hide them with a hat or something, but who knew how big they would get. It would be hard to forget about, and that would be a huge problem if he wanted them to become fully human. As Satoshi said, it's hard to forget a demon is a demon if they look like a demon.

"So, did you find anything interesting about the book I gave you?" Rena asked him. "I got it because I saw it had a section on emotions. That's important to understand if you're going to try to convert them to human."

Keiichi thought back to the book. It was very biased, and he doubted much of it was true. "I suppose it was somewhat helpful. They did say things about the history of demons and taking away their emotions, but all they said about them were that they didn't exist, period. I doubt this Koichi guy really knew all that much about demons." He sighed. "He may have killed the great Demon King, but that doesn't mean he knew much about them…"

Rena sighed. "I heard something from Rika's demon, once. Kaede, was it? She said that Makoto wasn't as bad as Koichi described. I think that… Koichi misunderstood…" She looked down at the table. "Though you have to consider that's coming from a demon who worked with Makoto and was loyal to her leader. Of course she would understand her leader better than Koichi did…"

Keiichi wasn't sure what to make of that. Makoto was said to be cruel. Was he really just misunderstood? He felt like saying so would be going against the village and saying something wrong, but he couldn't help but wonder if the tale was actually incorrect. Koichi had told it, after all, and he could have changed some things. Either that or he may have not understood him. Koichi was convinced demons were bad. He may have been unable to see Makoto as anything more than a selfish king who murdered humans without any reason. Of course, what Kaede said could have just been her talking great about her king, who she was so loyal to. She protected him for years, after all.

But judging by what he knew about demons, especially Mion and Shion, it seemed likely that Koichi's tale, and the book about demons he wrote, were just a pack of lies and misunderstandings.

"I don't know," Keiichi suddenly spoke out, having spent a while contemplating that idea. "Kaede or Koichi could have been right about Makoto. Maybe he was just a selfish ruler, and maybe he was just misunderstood. Who knows?"

"I don't think we'll ever get the truth with what we know today," sighed Rena, leaning back in her chair. "The only book that states the tale is one written by Kimiyoshi Koichi himself. I don't think anyone else knows any other versions of it…"

Keiichi looked down at his desk. "Too bad. It would be nice to know."

Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened, revealing the figure of Chie. Every child who was still up and about scampered to his or her seat, and Satoko quickly hid the art project she was working on. She wasn't supposed to use the clay without permission, and Chie didn't allow her to use it since she usually thought it was for some kind of trap. Usually, it was, but in this case, it was just a silly sculpture Satoko had decided to make for the fun of it.

"Good morning, class! It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" she cried out to all of them.

"Yes Chie-sensei," chorused the children.

She nodded. "It feels like a wonderful day, like nothing in the world could go wrong!" sung Chie. She usually wasn't in this good of a mood, even if she was a nice teacher. She took her work seriously and it was rare to see her so happy. Though it was true, the day was beautiful, and the usual atmosphere was lightened. "But we'll have just to wait until gym class to enjoy all that! For now, let's get started on math!"

Every child booed.

"Oh come on! Math is fun! We'll have a bunch of fun learning math today." Chie turned to the board and began to scribble down a very, very easy math problem on the board for the young children to do, and then began to scribble a much harder one for the older children to work on.

Keiichi grumbled as he began to work on that problem. He didn't like doing work as much as he used to now. Before, all he cared about was the grades he got on his homework. Now, he had a whole bunch of other things to be concerned about. Doing such problems was just a reminder of how he used to be, how things were painful for him. He didn't believe he was missing out on anything then. But now, looking back to who he used to be, he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself. He had been missing so much in life.

He scribbled down the answer to his problem, though he was barely thinking about it. Right now, he was concerned about what Rena had told him about Mion and Shion. He wanted to make them human, and he wanted to make them be able to interact with people like a normal human would do. A person would think of a demon as a demon if they looked demonic. It was easy to hide their fangs and claws, but if they were to grow gigantic horns like Rena said they would… that would be tough. He didn't know if a hat could cover their horns so easily, and they would have to constantly wear it. It would have to be a pretty big hat to be able to cover gigantic horns.

"All right class, let's discuss how we got the answer to these problems. Furude-san, please tell me what you got and how you got—"

Suddenly, the door burst open without any warning, revealing the figure of Dr. Irie. He looked as if he was out of breath, and a worried look was plastered all across his face. Needless to say, everyone in the whole class turned to look at him.

Chie looked stunned. "Irie? Has something—"

"Everyone! To the Furude Shrine! Right now!" he bellowed, confusing all of the people within the classroom. "It's an emergency meeting! They demand that everyone in Onigafuchi shows up in ten minutes!"

Chie opened her mouth, puzzled. She was going to protest and explain that the children needed their education, but she realized that whatever it was, it was probably important enough to pull everyone out of work and school. "Class, leave your things here. Don't pack up. We'll come back to class after and we'll work on everything later," Chie ordered them. "Just follow me."

Everyone dropped their things at once and followed Chie out the door as they chatted amongst themselves about what could have possibly happened. Whatever it was, it must be important. Keiichi walked alongside his friends and they murmured about what it could be, and why they would have to have all of Onigafuchi meet up in the beginning of the day. There were probably a few people who were peacefully asleep at home, so it would be troubling for them to wake up and walk all the way to the Furude Shrine.

"Is it another execution?" Rena wondered.

Takeru shook his head. "He would inform the Sonozakis before he executed anyone. I haven't heard a word about this meeting yet…"

"Then what is it?" Satoshi scratched the top of his head as he tried to figure it out. "I don't think that anyone has done anything like this before…"

"As far as I know, it's a first," responded Rika.

Whatever it may be, it was a big deal, as people from every spot in the village were now flooding the paths towards the Furude Shrine. They too were talking amongst themselves, also having no idea why they had been called over. Seeing as no one else knew, Keiichi began to grow very curious. What was all this about?

Eventually, they reached the Furude Shrine, and Chie ordered all the children to stay together in one group. They obeyed her, each and every child standing very close together as they looked up at the great Furude Shrine. Standing there, on the steps, was none other than Kimiyoshi Masaru, the son of Kimiyoshi Kiichirou. He looked incredibly worried for some reason, and it scared Keiichi. Had something happened to him? There were also a few members of the Kimiyoshi family there, ones that didn't have much of a say in the family, people who were barely ever spoken of. Along side him was a man Keiichi remembered vaguely, one he felt as if he had spoken to before…

After a few minutes, when the man confirmed that everyone was there, he stepped forward. He still looked scared for some reason, and the look would not come off his face. Keiichi heard Rika mumble something about how Masaru usually didn't speak in front of everyone, and how this was his first time. Keiichi wondered why, though. Was Kimiyoshi busy?

"Citizens of Onigafuchi! I have come with news!" he cried out, though his tone was shaky and nervous. He did not sound confident. It actually seemed like was scared. "L-Last night… A-At… Um… 12 am…" he began to trembled, and the look of fear on his face escalated. "…S-Some guy broke into the Kimiyoshi Manor and…" He gulped.

"Always happens," Takeru whispered to Rena. "Guess this really is an execution?"

Rena nodded. "Guess it is."

Masaru looked around and everyone, a nervous expression on his face as he played with the collar of his shirt. "…Well… s-someone broke in… with a knife… a-and somehow, they managed to kill the demons guarding outside… a-and injured the others guarding inside." He began to fidget. "A-And…"

Keiichi blinked in confusion. What was up with this guy?  
>"A-And h-h-he… h-he… he…"<p>

A man placed a hand on Masaru's shoulder, giving him a grave yet reassuring look.

"…H… H… He killed my father _and_ stole all the remaining demons!" he bellowed out.

The crowd broke out into surprised chatter, with expressions of horror on people's faces. Keiichi's eyes were wide as plates, and he turned to look at his friends. Rena had the same expression, as did Rika and Satoko, while Satoshi looked at the ground with a scared look in his eyes. Takeru, on the other hand, looked as if he had just been told that he had been disinherited and was going to be locked in a cage for the rest of his life. He was absolutely _horrified._

"I don't know how he did it!" cried Masaru as he shut his eyes, trying to prevent tears. "B-But he did it! He killed three demons, and then injured others! F-Five of the injured died of blood loss… that's what Hayashi said anyways…" he looked over to the man on his right. So that was the person Keiichi had thought he had seen before. He was the demon doctor he had met during his tour of Onigafuchi. "H-H-Hayashi told me that they had been stabbed. The rest of the demons were stolen… so now… we don't have any demons…"

Hayashi cleared his throat. "It is very important you look out for who did this. We have to find the Kimiyoshi demons at all costs. We need to find this person and execute them! So that's why we're asking for your cooperation. If you see a demon with a Kimiyoshi collar, contact us right away." He looked over to Masaru, who looked as if he were about to break down on stage. "…You all understand how important this is."

"Did they take Kai?" the voice of one of the villagers cried out.

Masaru nodded slowly. "Uh-huh… he's gone too… they're all gone. All fifty-one of them." He looked down at his shoes. "So… minus the eight demons that died, forty-three of them are still alive. I'm sure we can get them back! So p-please villagers! I beg of you to find them… I have to avenge my father!"

Hayashi stared at the crowd with his lemon-lime eyes. "Masaru is now the head of the Kimiyoshi family. Please respect him, and remember to watch out for this demon thief. He could be taking your demons, too."

"Some demons were stolen from the Sonozakis recently, too!" cried Masaru. "I suspect they're connected!"

Keiichi froze. He had indeed taken Mion and Shion, but he hadn't taken the forty-three remaining Kimiyoshi demons. If they found out about Mion and Shion… would he be blamed for the other demons? Then, he realized. What if this guy went after Shion and Mion? This guy had murdered eight demons. He could kill them, too. His eyes widened. They would surely die if that were the case! Would two demons have a chance against this guy, who had killed eight demons and stolen forty-three others? Even if he weren't to kill them… he could still steal them.  
>"That is all. Meeting dismissed!" cried Hayashi, as Masaru was unable to do so through his tears.<p>

**~~~~X~~~~**

Class was dismissed early that day. They allowed the students to get their things and then leave. Needless to say, Keiichi had gotten away from everyone as fast as he could. He was now back at his house, the door locked tightly behind him. The idea of someone actually murdering eight demons was crazy. Was it even possible for a human to do that? The thought scared him. Of course, all the villagers were horrified at the idea. No one felt safe anymore.

He ran up to his room, where Mion and Shion were still peacefully sleeping. He shook them both awake as fast as he could. When they saw the horrified look on his face, they were both rather confused. Was there something wrong? They sat up instantly, staring at him with curious eyes.

"Kei-chan?" Mion spoke.

"It's bad news!" he cried out, scaring the two of them. "Kimiyoshi is dead! They stole all of his demons too!"

They both looked at each other. "Kimiyoshi? Is that the old guy with the weird eyes?"

He nodded quickly.

"Oh, I remember him!" cried Shion. "He used to come down all the time to look at us when we were small. Sometimes, he picked us up and it was really annoying." She blinked a few times. "But he's dead? How?"

Keiichi shook his head. "I don't know! But they said the guy actually _killed_ the demons!"

"I didn't think that was possible," Mion commented. "Aren't humans nothing compared to demons in terms of strength?

"And that's why I'm worried!" he screeched. "Mion, Shion! What if this guy comes and tries to take you? What if they end up killing you? He killed the other demons! He should have no problem killing or taking you two!" He was genuinely worried for the two demons. They had become such a huge part of his life. He covered his eyes with his hands. "W-What would I do without you two?" he murmured as he allowed himself to sink down to the ground.

Yes, they had done so much for him. They were a huge part of his life. The thought of having a life without them was crazy. He couldn't imagine such a thing.

Mion looked down at him. "Kei-chan," she whispered. She placed a hand on his shoulder, inching closer towards him. "…I'm not going to die, Kei-chan. Do you think that this guy could beat me?"

Keiichi nodded. "He killed… eight demons…" he whispered, not even bothering to look up at her. "He could kill you… or take you away from me. It'll be easy for him."

Mion touched his chin and lifted it up, forcing him to look at her straight in the eye. She allowed a large grin to grow on her face, one filled with the spirit she had when she played cards or any other kind of game. "Do you think this demon here would lose? When have I lost? Kei-chan, I'm a great fighter. I can fight with all kinds of swords. I bet those demons didn't have a single sword! Shion's good with a sword, too! They wouldn't be able to touch her!" She winked at him. "I'd show that guy! I'd beat him up! He wouldn't be half of what he used to be if he fought me!" She placed a finger on his head, flicking him gently. "So cheer up. This demon here will never be caught."

Her warm yet mischievous smile and her spirit gave him confidence. She was right. Who was he to think that Mion would be killed easily? He hadn't seen her in battle, but judging by how she was with card games, she wouldn't be a tough opponent. Shion was similar, even if she wasn't as competitive. He looked up into those emerald greens of hers, which were shinning with pride and confidence. Yes, he could feel better with her. Her spirit was enough to calm him down and reassure him that everything would okay.

"Mion… t-thank you." And without even thinking, Keiichi leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight, warm embrace. He held her tightly, refusing to let her go. She was a strong person. She could pull through. He never wanted to lose either of them. Even as the seconds flew by, he did not loosen his grip on her. Her warmth was reassuring him of her life, that she was still alive and that she could take down this killer and thief before he got to her. She was so… warm…

Mion was in awe. Her face was as red as a tomato, and she didn't even know why. What was this feeling she was getting? Whatever it was… it was nice…

Keiichi finally pulled away after what seemed liked forever. Shion was watching them with surprise painted on her face. She noted that her sister's face was a bright red, but she didn't know why that was. She hadn't seen anyone's face get like that before.

"Thank you for being there for me… you two…" whispered Keiichi as he stared at the two of them. "Really… what would I do without you?"

He shot them a sad smile. They had done so much for him, and he was sure that he wouldn't lose them anytime soon, now that Mion had reassured him of that. Really, Mion was probably one of the strongest people he knew.

Keiichi remembered something then, about what Rena had said about the horns she had found on their heads. "Mion, come here," he told her. She was a little confused at first, but she obeyed him and scooted towards him. He placed hand on her head and then began to rummage through her green hair, much to the girl's confusion.

It didn't take long at all. It actually took about three seconds. He peered through her green locks, finding that what Rena had said was true. There, on her head, were two stubs of white horns that were beginning to grow. However, Rena had said there were tiny and almost impossible to see. These… were a lot bigger. He let go of her hair and allowed it to back to normal. She was blinking at him in confusion, but he ignored that. He looked at the top of her head, and found that if you looked close enough, you could see their points.

_…But Rena said they were small! It can't be… they grew that much in a single day? _

He didn't know how to react to that. If that was how much her horns were going to grow per day, it wouldn't be long before she had a set of huge horns protruding from the top of her head. Then, everyone would know that she was a demon and it would be nearly impossible for him or her to think of her otherwise. Horns were something associated with demons often, after all.

He looked to Shion and discovered that he could see the points of her horns, too. They were both growing about the same rate.

_Soon… maybe even in a few days… those tiny horns are going to become huge. And then… no one will be able to see them as a human anymore…_

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**12:01 AM. It's not Halloween anymore. Happy November 1****st****! Really, I'm not going to upload this yet. I just wanted to finish it. I have to take a shower still, though. I'm amazed that I managed to finish this all in one sitting! I didn't take breaks or anything. Still, though, I'm going to wait. It's more exciting if I upload it in the middle of the weak. You got one yesterday, after all. Well, I guess it'll be different when I upload this, but…**

**Horns. Yes. Return of the horns. They're not just to look cool, by the way. As I said before, it's something that'll stop them from becoming "human", like Keiichi wants them to. If you saw someone with horns, you would probably focus on that. I hope you understand what the whole meaning behind the horns were. And yay for KeiMi fluff!**

**Please review! Reviewers can get a ticket to the Crimso Land Theme Park! People who point out typos can get a ticket to bring a friend. I also would REALLY love to hear your predictions, especially with what happened in this chapter! I'll give you a special ticket to the Crimso Buffet if you can! You can go three times with that ticket. Please, though. I really, really want to hear it this time. I know it sounds like I'm begging, but it really makes me happy! **

**And now I must shower. First, though, I have to get my kitten off my foot. Yeah, he fell asleep on it. **

**~Crimso**

**P.S: It's 1/1/11 now. That's so cool…**

**P.S.S: I downloaded the raws of Higurashi Kira file 3. It's mostly KeiShion, actually. There's hardly any KeiRena, and there's a fair amount of KeiMi… or maybe that's just because I skipped over all the KeiRena parts.**


	21. Chapter 20: Darkest Hour

**Crimso's Notes:**

**I. Hate. Analyzing. Quotes. I do believe two Green-Eyed Demon chapter started with the same thing. But it's true. I have nothing to do until my teacher comes to review the changes to my notes. Hence, this. This is my second in-class essay for this book. And this time, we have to choose our question instead of using one the teacher provided for us. Well, he gave us five, and we had to choose from one of those. I didn't know the answer to half of them, so I chose the first one. Gosh, I hope it turns out all right. I'm tired. I spilled pickle juice on my only shirt last night, so I slept smelling like pickles.**

**One: This chapter is going to be slow. The next chapter, not so much.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty: Darkest Hour **

The village was in a state of panic from the announcement from the day before, and needless to say, Keiichi and his friends were concerned as well. Rika, Satoko, and Satoshi had spent the whole day trying to upgrade the security of their demon storage, although it was tough for them to do so. There were so many things they had to consider, like the fact that the man was able to murder eight demons AND steal forty-three others. What they were dealing with was a master thief and a master murderer. They had to be careful.

The Furude family had put out their strongest demons, which were now guarding the place like a vulture would guard its prey. They had kept the head demon, Kaede, on watch of things rather than fighting. She would alert someone if the thief appeared, rather than risking her life. It would be hard to kill off one of the head demons, but the man had gotten by Kai, possibly wounding him.

Keiichi gulped as he played with the collar of his shirt. If they had Kai, that meant they would be extra powerful. The murder was now Kai's master, and they could control him. Kai obeyed every order without question. So if the murderer were to order Kai to kill off all of Onigafuchi, he wouldn't hesitate to do so. He knew from what Rika told him that her head demon, Kaede, would be able to put up a good fight, though he wasn't sure with forty-three other demons to back him up. Then again, Rika DID say she had thirty-five, and Keiichi had Mion and Shion to help him.

Whatever may happen, everyone knew that Onigafuchi was in a state of grave danger with a murderer on the loose, who could apparently kill demons and had forty-three to help him.

"Perhaps it could connect to the kidnappings," Keiichi commented as he scribbled down the answers to a math problem. Class hasn't started yet, and with all the terror last night, he had forgotten about his math homework. Now, he was using his spare time to do so before Chie came in. "You know, the ones with the little children."

Rena nodded in response as she looked down at her desk, drumming her fingers on it absentmindedly. "I think so, too. Of course, he's not using the children to kill anyone, but…" Rena looked up and glanced about the room. "For some reason… the room seems so… empty."

Keiichi looked up as well, and noticed that Rena was right. He counted the number of children in the room. There used to be twenty children (not including him), so minus his five friends, himself, and the child that was kidnapped before, there should be fourteen young children.

There were only ten.

"…Do you think they'll come in?" Keiichi asked as he stared at the commotion going on in the classroom. A few students stood there, chatting amongst themselves about their missing friends. From what he could pick up, they hadn't heard from any of them the night before. That thought scared Keiichi. It only added to the likelihood that they had been kidnapped, or even worse, killed.

Rena sighed. "…I doubt it." She didn't even try to be optimistic about the situation. With all that had been going on, no one in Onigafuchi seemed happy. "They're probably gone…"

It was a harsh truth, but Keiichi realized that Rena was probably right and that they would have to accept it. The four children probably weren't going to come in. The kidnapper, who may or may not be the same person as the guy who murdered eight demons and Kimiyoshi, had probably gotten to them already. Looking at the desk before him, he was relieved to see that Satoko was still there, chatting to a concerned Rika. She looked a little afraid, but seeing as she was still very young, she had every right to be. No, that wasn't it. _Everyone_ had every right to be afraid right now.

Chie walked in, and whatever chatter was going on stopped. There weren't many people talking, anyways, due to the lack of students and the fact that a lot of children decided that they wouldn't say a word. Satoshi and Takeru were both silent, while Satoko and Rika had been chattering. Keiichi and Rena had been, too, though silently.

"I'm going to take attendance," she spoke, looking at the number of children in her class. She noticed right away that the number was lacking, and it was no surprise to her. She knew something like this was going to happen, considering the whole incident with Kimiyoshi the day before. "If I call your name, please speak up. And be loud, please. Furude-san?"

"Here!" cried Rika.

Chie checked her off. "Houjou Satoko-san?" she called out.

Satoko raised her hand high into the air. "I'm here!"

She nodded, and then began to go down the list further. Just as expected, it came out that four children didn't show up. Chie sighed and shook her head when she realized this. "This is the largest amount yet. …They've only been picking the children off one by one… and yet…" she paused. "Please stay here while I contact their parents."

She walked out of the room immediately. As she did so, Keiichi could have sworn he saw a small tear trickle down her face.

"Hey, Rena, did you see that?" Keiichi whispered to the girl next to him. "Was she crying?"  
>Rena nodded. "I saw that. I'm not surprised. Chie-sensei thinks it's her job to take care of the students, and whenever this happens, she believes she has failed. Especially since four are gone right now…" she whispered back to him, her mind drifting off to previous memories. "Like when the first child disappeared, she was devastated. When the second one disappeared, it was the same. After the third, the reaction was less extreme, but that didn't mean Chie didn't think she failed as a teacher. She always feels this way, Keiichi-kun." Rena sighed. "It's not her fault, though. She only watches them for the time they're at school. When they're at home, it's their parent's job to be on watch."<p>

"But why? Why would anyone want to snatch up children?" Keiichi asked.

Rena shook her head. "But I have noticed something, Keiichi-kun. I don't know if you noticed, since there's only been one kidnapping before this since you came." She nodded. "You probably don't know about this. I realized last night that the kidnapper, whoever he is, started by picking off the younger kids first. Now, it's gradually going to the older kids. You know Kimura Yoshio? The boy who was kidnapped before? He was a little younger than the kids that are now missing."

That was certainly a clue that he hadn't noticed, and it would be helpful in figuring out the motives, though it still didn't make a whole lot of sense. What was the point in picking off the little ones first?

"That could be an important part of the puzzle," Rena spoke, not waiting for Keiichi to answer.

"But why? Why the little ones first? And how does this connect to Kimiyoshi's murder?" asked Keiichi.

Rena sighed with a shake of the head. "I don't know that, Keiichi-kun. We'll have to think about this for a little bit. And besides, the two of them are likely not to be connected at all."

That was true. There was no evidence that they were the same person, after all. Who knew what kind of events could go on in Onigafuchi? Two people may have decided to commit murder, and it was very likely there was no relation.

Chie opened the door again, walking into the silent classroom. Keiichi and Rena had really been the only people talking, aside from Rika and Satoko exchanging a few comments here and there. She cleared her throat as she stared gravely at the classmates, her expression containing no hint of happiness. "I called all four of the children's' parents. Sasaki-san is at home sick, but aside from that, all of the children's parents didn't know where their children were."

Keiichi hardly had time to feel relief for the boy who turned out to still be alive, since there were still three others that had been kidnapped, and possibly killed. _What does this guy want, and why is he doing this? It doesn't make any sense!_

Class continued on, but no one said anything aside from Chie. It was mostly a silent study hall, and almost no words were exchanged between students. Keiichi felt as if he should talk to Rena more about the situation, but he didn't know what to say. That aside, people would probably hear him. If he were to discuss Mion and Shion in a room as silent as this, it was possible that Takeru would overhear.

"Rena, are you free after school?" Keiichi whispered to the orange-haired girl.

Rena shook her head. "I have plans with Takeru-kun," she whispered back.

Keiichi felt a pain in his heart. He couldn't help but feel bad for the poor girl. She had been making all these plans with her boyfriend, who she didn't actually care for. Staying with him must be painful for the poor girl, who didn't feel a hint of romantic love for the boy. Sure, she loved him, though that was only as a friend.

"All right. Please come over sometime, though. _They_ would like to see you sometime again, I'm sure," he whispered back.

"Of course I will!" she whispered. "I hope everything is going okay with them!"

Keiichi nodded. Things had been going fine with the demons. He had made some good progress, and they were quite happy, even if they didn't understand what that was.

**~~~~X~~~~**

After school that day, Keiichi walked right home. He didn't ask to see anyone that day, as he had plans with Shion and Mion. He would take them outside again and have some fun, as he realized they hadn't been outside in a long time. His parents had called that morning, informing him that they would be coming back at five that afternoon, so the time they had together outside was limited.

_I'll just need to be extra careful. With all that's been going on, it's important that I keep the two of them hidden…_

He walked into his room with a sigh. It was still dark, concealing the figures of the twins, who were surely cuddled up underneath the futon, just like usual. He flickered the lights on as he contemplated what he was going to when his parents came back. He needed to keep Mion and Shion hidden at all costs. His parents were still blissfully oblivious to the fact that there were demons in the village, and if they were to see Shion and Mion, they would be able to recognize the fact that they were demons. Even if they didn't, it would still be bad. How would he explain to his parents about the situation? No parent wants to come home after a vacation to find two girls living in their son's room.

No. They would be able to find out that they were demons, because of their horns. He gulped as he remembered the word. With those horns, they would stick out and everyone would know of their true nature. He looked over to the futon, where the twins were still asleep, and walked over. It was time for them to wake up. They had been sleeping for a long time, after all.

He shook them both awake. He had no idea if they had woken up that day, but even if they did, they had probably gotten a long sleep. He was a little envious, as he would like to sleep in, too, but he realized that the twins were probably just enjoying the fact that they had a warm futon now. Mion woke up first, sitting up instantly and rubbing her green eyes.

The first thing Keiichi noticed was her horns, which had grown quite a bit since yesterday. They were now poking far out of her head, and it would be hard for anyone not to notice them. He gulped about seeing them. If he noticed that so quickly, so would everyone else. Mion nudged her sister to help her wake up, which worked for the most part. She was still drowsy, and her brain was hardly processing anything.

"Hey, sis…" Shion greeted her sister as she stretched out her arms with a great yawn. "That was a good—" She blinked. "Huh? Sis? Since when did you have those?" she asked, pointing to the set of horns her sister now had.

Mion blinked as she stared at the wall. "Huh? When did I have what?" she asked.

"Look in the mirror!" Shion cried.

Mion was confused, but she decided to comply anyways. She wandered over to the mirror in the corner of the room and blinked at her reflection. The moment she stared into the reflective glass was the moment that she noticed it. She gasped as her hands ran up to her hair and began to feel about it. A hand grasped onto a horn, her fingers wrapping around it. It was too small to be held in her whole hand, but she could get a good four fingers around it.

"Why do I have horns?" Mion asked, her voice full of shock. "I never had them before!"

Keiichi sighed. Mion too had noticed it right away. He turned to Shion, gazing at her horns, which were the same size as Mion's at the moment. "Shion, you too…" he told her gently.

Shion's hand shot and she began to run her fingers through her hair, until they hit the hardness of her right horn. She was startled, to say the least. "Me too! How did this happen? Only a few demons had horns, but they died when Oryou killed them all!"

Mion shook her head, her finger reaching to touch the point of her left horn. "I don't know. But those demons with horns were a lot older than us, sis…"

"And?" The younger green-haired twin didn't seem to catch onto what Mion was trying to say.

"What your sister is saying is that demons probably grow horns around your age. Of course, a few demons don't have horns, but," he shook his head. "Yours just hadn't grown in yet."

Mion continued to poke at them curiously, feeling their smoothness and their tips. It was strange to the girl. She never thought that she would grow in horns, and had never considered the idea that she would get them when she was older. It was a huge shock to her.

"They're not done growing yet, either. I think they'll get a lot bigger than that," Keiichi said. He himself didn't know how large they were going to get, but for their sake, he hoped that they wouldn't be too large. Hopefully they were small enough to be able to be hidden under a hat, so that they conceal what would make people think of them as nothing other than demon. A hat would help that.

Mion grabbed it again, grasping onto it tightly. "How much bigger?"

Shion looked up at the ceiling. "I think Kenji had ones that were pretty big. I think they were curved and went over his entire head…"

Keiichi winced. That didn't sound good. If they really used Kenji's blood to change them, it meant that they would have the same kind of horns, most likely. That was the reason why they had horns in the first place, after all.

"Well, do you guys want to head outside?" Keiichi asked them, deciding to change the topic. "I realize that it's been a while, so…"

As soon as he said that, he noticed that their faces had lit up with excitement. It had been a while since they tasted the fresh air and felt the warm sunlight, after all. He grinned at time and stood up, gesturing for the two of them to follow him, which they happily did.

"Just remember that the outside is dangerous for you guys. We are going behind the house, where the trees cover us mostly from view. Please be careful," he reminded they as he opened the door to the outside. He glanced about, making sure that there was definitely no one there. "Also, my parents are going to come back at five, so we have to be back inside by then. Its three now, so we have an hour and a half."

Mion blinked at the mention of his parents. "Oh yeah, I remember what that means."

Keiichi grinned at her. "Good! Maybe you'll be able to meet yours, someday."

The demon looked down at her feet. "Maybe." Keiichi could tell that, from what he had been telling her about parents and what they did, Mion really wished to see her mother and her father. Keiichi wasn't sure if such a thing would ever happen, but for her sake, he hoped so. Akane would be amazed to see her twin daughters for the first time. She had been so hurt over their supposed deaths, after all.

"Anyways," Keiichi mumbled. He looked out once again and then dashed for it. The twins ran behind him, making sure that they weren't seen.

When they arrived behind the house, the twins instantly dashed towards the flowers and began to sniff them, careful that they didn't poke them or "hurt" them too much. He recalled when Shion was worried that she had hurt the flower by poking at it. They really did feel strongly about simple things like a flower being poked or a leaf falling off the tree. It wasn't there fault, though. It was only to be expected of someone who had never been outside before.

Keiichi sighed as he leaned against a tree, watching as the two of them began to talk about the flowers. From what he could hear, they were currently observing their colors and noting that nothing else had that kind of color when they were in the basement, aside from the hair of a few demons.

When his parents came home, he knew he wouldn't be able to take them out very often. If they were to see them, the result would not be good. He would also have to confine them to their room and prevent his parents from entering there, something that broke his heart. He was doing the same thing the Sonozakis had done to them. He was preventing them from leaving a space, preventing them from seeing the outside world, which they loved so much.

The twins began to chase each other through the grass, laughing as they did so. It seemed that they were playing a small game of tag, though the two of them were constantly tagging each other and the game wasn't all that competitive. Mion's swapping places tactic didn't work when it was just she and Shion. There wasn't anyone who didn't know her strange tricks, and there weren't any to play on her sister in her first place.

"You're it now, sis!" cried Shion and she ran away from her sister as fast as she could.

"Not for long! This demon here is going to get you!" she declared as she chased her sister about the yard.

Keiichi chuckled at them. They looked as if they were having so much fun. With a smirk on his face, he ran at the two of them, surprising the both of them. He pulled Mion into Shion, though he did so gently. "Haha, it looks like you're it, Shion!" cried Keiichi as he ran from the two startled green-haired girls.

"Hey! Come back here!" cried Shion as she ran after the boy, who was wearing a victorious smirk on his face. These moments were ones Keiichi treasured. He used to be alone, caring about nothing aside from homework. And now, here he was, having fun with two great friends. It was just a simple game of tag, but it was one of those moments that Keiichi thought he'd treasure forever.

Really, such simple games could be the best parts of life.

The game continued onwards, though it was a rather lighthearted one compared to the other competitive ones. It seemed as if Mion didn't have any tricks up her sleeve yet, and Keiichi had already been anticipating the whole twin swap. She couldn't use a tactic that she had already used before! He already knew that one, so using that again would be completely useless.

After the game was over, the three of them collapsed in the grass, laughing madly.

"Ahaha! Man, Mion, you can be one vicious girl at times!" Keiichi joked. "I swear!"

Mion winked at him. "Well I wouldn't be Mion if that wasn't the case, eh?"

"I can't imagine what my sis would be like without all the competitive spirit!" laughed Shion. "She wouldn't be my sis!"

"I just said that, Shion," Mion said.

Shion just grinned at her.

Keiichi once again burst out laughing. The two of them could be so funny at times. "Man, you two! You guys are great! I'm so glad I have you two!"  
>The older one of the green-haired twins nodded. "I completely agree! Man, I've told you often how much you've changed my life, but I really mean it Kei-chan!" she turned her head so that she was looking into his blue eyes, a smile plastered on her face. "I like being with you a lot! Playing with you and Shion like this makes me really happy, you know that?"<p>

Keiichi paused and let her words process for a moment. First, she had complimented him again, which was something he always enjoyed. However, the real strange thing about what she had said was the fourth sentence. _Happy._ She had used the word happy. She didn't know what that was, so why did she use that word? He had explained what it felt like to her, but not what the definition of it was. So why had she used a word she didn't even know the meaning of?

Mion noticed Keiichi's confusion and blinked at him. "Kei-chan?"  
>"…Mion, about what you said…" he spoke. "You mentioned the word happy… even though that's an emotion and you don't know what that means…"<p>

Much to his surprise, however, Mion just laughed at this. "Oh, you're so silly, Kei-chan! You told us what it was and how it felt. You don't need to describe it! I know what it means just by the way it feels! Happy, I'm happy!" she cried out, a huge smile on her face. "Wow, I don't think I've ever been this happy before! Thanks, Kei-chan!"

Keiichi blinked in surprise, and then looked to Shion. "Are you happy, too? Do you know what it means?"  
>Shion nodded, a smile on her face. "Of course I'm happy! Thanks for taking us out here!" she replied.<p>

Shock filled him. They had figured out what it was all on their own! He remembered being so caught up in trying to describe happiness to them, not knowing how to do so as happiness wasn't something that was taught to him, just something he felt and was given the name of. It was the same for the demons. He gave them a feeling and placed a name on it, and they were able to know what it meant just from that.

_Man… I'm so stupid. They're no different from humans, so why do they need an explanation of what happiness is?_

Keiichi grinned at them. "Well, I'm glad I managed to do that! And you're welcome!"

And once again, three of them laughed.

He had done his job well. Mion and Shion now knew what happiness was, and they weren't far away from the rest. However, there were a few more concepts they had to grasp. They didn't understand what sorrow was, though it was possible that he could teach them the same way he taught them what happiness was. However, there were a few more things that would be rocky. …How was he going to explain the concept of love to them? They didn't understand it when he tried to explain it. It would be a hard concept for them, and he knew the road was going to be tricky.

Well, whatever it may be, he would get through it. Yes, he was just that much closer to achieving his goal…

And unfortunately, while they were laughing, they didn't noticed what was within the forest. A single shadow was standing within the trees, watching the three of them with narrow eyes. She gazed at the two demons on his left and right, analyzing their looks carefully.

"…It looks like I've found them," she whispered to herself. "The two stolen Sonozaki demons… it looks like he was right about their whereabouts after all." She grinned. "The Sonozaki head shall be pleased with me."

**~~~~X~~~~**

It was five-thirty when Keiichi's parents returned from their trip. His mother had come in with a bag in her hand, which he assumed was full of food, and his father was carrying a few random objects he had bought from his trip. Keiichi had been sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea he had made for himself. He had placed Mion and Shion upstairs, telling them about what they needed to do in order to avoid his parents finding out about them. He hated having to lock them up in his room and allow no escape, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Mom! Dad!" greeted Keiichi as he got up from his seat table. It had been a while since he had seen his parents, and it was comforting to be near them again.

"Ah, Keiichi!" cried his dad instantly, waling over to greet his son. He opened up his arms, expecting a giant embrace from his son. But when he didn't receive such, he went and gave Keiichi one instead, squeezing his son tightly. "Oh, how much you've grown since your mother and I left for the town! You may as well be a man now!" he cried out.

Keiichi nodded, wincing. He loved his dad, but he didn't particularly like being squeezed half to death. "I haven't… Gah! I haven't grown at all!" he choked out. "It hasn't been that long!"

His mother walked up to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Dear, don't squeeze him too tight. He looks like he's in pain…"

His father laughed and released his son from the tight embrace, allowing his son to stumble backwards. "But it's been a while since I've seen my lovely son! How are you?"

Keiichi grinned at him. "Ah, I'm fine. Things have been going well around here! I've been with my friends most of the time. I'm sick of eating instant ramen, though…" he joked, rubbing the back of his head as he thought about the stuff. Just the thought of the flavor made him cringe. He had had too much of that stuff in the last few days.

His mother smiled. "Well, I'll be glad to give you a good meal tonight! Anyways, hello dear! I'm glad to see that things have been okay for you. Having fun with your friends?"

Keiichi nodded. "A whole bunch!" he cried out. "The people are awesome here."

His father grew a suggestive smirk on his face, grinning. "Oh, Keiichi? Have you perhaps met a girl that you fell in love with?" he asked him.

"W-W-What? !" cried Keiichi.

That smirk refused to disappear, even after Keiichi had spoken. "Tell me all about it! Is it a cute young girl your age? Or have you fallen for someone a little older? Is she taller or shorter than you? Was it love at first sight, or was it gradual? Have you kissed yet?" he patted his son on the back as he let out a large laugh. "Don't worry, you can tell your father everything!"  
>Keiichi grumbled about how he hadn't gotten a girlfriend yet. The only girl he had his age in his school was Rena, and she had Takeru, even though she didn't care for him. He had no interest in her romantically, anyways. Mion and Shion, on the other hand, were both open to him. He could feel his cheeks fluster a little, but he tried to shake the thought out of his mind so his father wouldn't notice.<p>

However, he did so too late. His father had already noticed that slight blush, and being his father, he didn't pretend not to notice. "Oh, you're blushing! Tell me all about her!"

He was about to argue back, but his mother intervened before anything happened. "Dear, please. If he doesn't want to speak, he doesn't have to." But then she turned to him, smiling. "Do tell your mother about your lover when you find the perfect someone, though! I'm sure she'll be a fine lady."

Keiichi buried his face into his hands. He wished his parents wouldn't bring up such awkward topics.

"But anyways, Keiichi, tell me about how you've been enjoying the village so far. Is it better than you imagined?" she asked him.

Keiichi nodded. "I feel bad about not wanting to come here before. It's a really wonderful place."

"I'm glad," his mother responded. "And I suppose you've given up on that silly idea that this village is infested by demons?"

The brown-haired boy felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't tell them that the truth was that there really were demons where they lived, and that there were two staying in his room right now. Although on the inside, Keiichi couldn't help but wonder how his parents hadn't found out yet. It was everywhere, after all. Keiichi had found out after a few days and his friends had given up on the idea of hiding that fact from him, finding that it was useless. At one point or another, his parents would realize the truth about the village.

"Ah, yes," he lied. "Don't worry about silly old me now! I was acting a little funny, now wasn't I?"

Keiichi's father nodded. "I'm glad you gave up on that idea, and that you can just enjoy the village now. Demons don't exist, after all! Only in horror movies," he replied, giving him a reassuring thumb up.

_Oh, Dad, you can't be more wrong…_

"Anyways, what would you like for dinner, Keiichi?" asked his mother as she walked over to the kitchen. "I think you deserve a nice, well-cooked dinner. I'll throw away any extra instant ramen there may be. I'm sure you're sick of the taste by now."

Oh, how right she was. The thought of instant ramen made him want to throw up. Being treated to a nice dinner by his mother would be the best thing possible right now. It had been a while since he had tasted her wonderful cooking, after all. He could feel his mouth water as he envisioned the many things his mother had made for him in the past.

"Anything you want in particular?" Keiichi's mother asked as she pulled out a few basic ingredients from the fridge. "I'll cook whatever you wish for."

Keiichi licked his lips, a thousand pictures of different meals popping into his mind at the same time. How was he supposed to decide between them? "Anything is fine, as long as it's not instant ramen," he replied.

His mother laughed. "Of course not, dear."

Keiichi nodded and ran to the table, taking a seat at it as he pondered what was to happen now that his parents had returned. He had to prevent them from coming in his room _somehow_. Really, how was he going to explain Shion and Mion's presence to his parents? "Hey, mom? Dad? I have a request."  
>His father, who had taken a seat right next to him, looked up at him. "What would that be, my son?"<p>

"Could you… perhaps… not go into my room unless I say so? Not even to wake me up?" he asked them as politely as he could.

His father's face was full with shock. "Eh?"

Keiichi felt a lump of lead in his throat. "…I just want some privacy. I can wake myself up on time, now. I've learned how to when you were away," he explained to them.

Keiichi's father blinked at his son. "Well, if that's what you want, son. I can't say no to that. That would just be plain rude."

"It's fine with me too, dear," his mother's voice called out from the kitchen as she began to chop a few vegetables. "I understand."

The brown-haired boy felt relief grow within him. That would make things much easier.

"Thanks, dad."

The two of them continued to talk a little as they waited for dinner to arrive. His father kept asking him about his friends, and Keiichi answered almost every question he could about them. He, of course, omitted any details involving the nature of Onigafuchi. He tried his best not to mention demons or anything of that nature. His parents would find out eventually, but he didn't want to be the one to break the news to them. He wouldn't know how to explain it to them, anyways.

He was tempted to mention Mion and Shion a few times, but he realized he had to hold back from doing so. If he mentioned them and his parents met his friends later, they would wonder where the two identical twins were. They were good friends of his, but he had to keep their existence a secret for now. Perhaps the day would come when he could introduce them to his friends, and then they could live happily from then on.

He sighed at the idea. Hopefully it would happen…

After a while, his mother set three dishes on the table. She had made a perfectly well cooked slab of meat, and it looked delicious. He supposed it was one of the ingredients that had been in the bag she was carrying when she walked in. He licked his lips as he looked at it, holding his fork and knife above the piece of meat. His tongue was dying to taste his mother's food again.

His mother sat down, smiling. "Well then, let's eat!"

Keiichi dug into his steak without thinking, his mouth finally touching some quality food. He continued to dig into it. His tongue was completely in love with the taste of the meat. His mother was a true master chef.

"Oh, how wonderful your mother's cooking is!" cried his father as he too dug into the meat. "She is a true chef! Compliment her, Keiichi!"

Keiichi smiled at his mother. "Thank you, mom!" he managed to cry out before he dug into the meat once again.

His mother laughed. "Oh, I'm so happy! Thank _you_!"

"As expected from Aiko! Oh, what a lovely steak you make! I bet Keiichi is so happy to have this rather than that old instant ramen!" cried his father.

Keiichi grumbled. He didn't want anyone to mention that again, now that he was enjoying a perfectly good meal.

"So, how are your friends at cooking?" his father asked after swallowing a mouthful of meat.

"Oh, they're great! Rena's a master chef. I think she rivals mom at that!" he replied before sipping some of his water. After the water had gone down, he continued. "She can make a work of art out of a piece of food. It doesn't just taste good! It also looks really nice. She can make food look cute enough for her to want to take home!"

His mother cut her steak slowly, finely. "Ah, you've told me about her wanting to take cute things home. She likes trying to take home those two young girls, hm? What were their names?"

"Satoko and Rika," he answered, cutting into his steak as well. "Rika's a good girl in every single way. She's so cute, and she is always nice to everyone. Satoko, on the other hand… well… she's a trickster! A real trickster! She likes setting up tricks and then pretending to be completely innocent. She's gotten me way too many times!" He laughed at the thought. He couldn't even count the number of times she had trapped him. "But you know what? Even so, she's fun to be around and a irreplaceable part of our group."

"They both sound like wonderful people," commented his mother.

Keiichi grinned. "Yup! Everyone in my group of friends is irreplaceable. Satoshi is Satoko's older brother. He's kind of quiet at times, but I don't think our group of friends would ever be complete without him! And it's not only him, but Takeru, too. He's kind of a leader type, I guess. He's dating Rena."

Keiichi's father raised an eyebrow. "Oh, are you jealous of him?"

He shook his head. "Rena's a good friend. I wouldn't ever date her."

"Oh? Well tell me when you find the perfect girl! Your father would love to hear about her!" his father commented, once again getting to the subject of girls. It really did seem like he was trying to embarrass his son.

Keiichi's face grew red and started at his father, an irritated look on his face. "S-Shut up!" he cried out, jokingly punching his father in the gut.

"Ah, don't do that Keiichi! Your father was just curious! I just to know about what kind of pretty girl my son will someday fall in love with and mar—" His sentence was interrupted when Keiichi sent another punch to his stomach. "Ow! That hurt!"

"I told you not to talk about this right now, dad!" cried Keiichi.

His father laughed. "Your father will be silent, then!"

The meal continued on, and the family had quite a bit of fun talking with each other. Keiichi couldn't remember having such a fun conversation with his parents before. It had all been about schoolwork and grades before. Now, they could actually speak about interesting topics, ones that would be considered much more fun. He sighed as he walked up the stairs to his room, stretching out his limbs. It was now late, as the time it took to cook the meal and the time they spent talking and eating had been a while.

He entered his room, collapsing down on the futon and snuggling into the covers. Yes, things would change with his parents here…

"Kei-chan?" Mion's voice rang out.

Keiichi shot up. "Mion?" he replied. "Ah, where's Shion?"  
>"Asleep," she answered, pointing to the futon. Shion was indeed asleep in the futon. "I was asleep, too, but then you started talking with your parents and I woke up."<p>

Keiichi blinked. "Ah, sorry."

She shook her head. "It's fine." She paused for a moment, not saying anything for a good while. He just stared at her for a while, looking into her green eyes. "You sounded like you were having a lot of fun. Are parents usually like that? Are they usually that fun to be around? Do you usually have conversations like that?" she asked him.

He wasn't sure how to answer that. This was his first time having such a fun-filled conversation, but he was sure other children went through such conversations as well. Most kids weren't so concerned about grades, like he was when he was younger. "Yeah, parents often have fun conversations with their children. We had a lot of fun together. This is my first time talking to them about this, though."

"Ah." She said nothing again for a few moments. "You were talking about your friends. They sound nice… are they really fun to be around, too?"

Keiichi nodded, a huge grin breaking across his face. "Of course they are! We have this huge group, and they're all a bunch of fun to be around! I'm sure you heard all about them from our conversation. There's Rena, you know her, and then there's Rika, the cute nice girl. There's also Satoko, her best friend, who is a real trickster. Heh, with your tactics, Mion, you would go nicely along with her! Satoshi is there, too. He's silent, but he's really kind and fun to talk to." He paused before he mentioned Takeru. They probably knew him, and he didn't want to mention him, as he was a part of the Sonozaki family. "We're a great group!"

Mion nodded. "I see," she replied. She didn't seem to have much to say about the subject, and left to return to her futon after he had explained things to her.

However, when Keiichi thought about it, he realized she had looked sad when he was talking about his friends and his parents. In fact, she almost looked jealous of the fact that he had so many friends, that he could always be with his parents. It made Keiichi hate himself for saying such things. He should have realized it, after all. Mion only had him, her sister, and Rena. Her parents didn't even know she was alive, and she hadn't ever gotten a single glance their faces.

_I should watch what I say around her._

It just fueled his desire some more. He had to find some way to get her to her mother, even if that meant risking both her and himself.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Onigafuchi was dark, as the gray clouds were almost completely covering the sky. Satoko was wandering through the forest, having finished her job at the Furude demon storage. She had insisted that she went to clean out a cell all by herself, as Rika was exhausted from the day before, and she felt as if she had been putting too much work on her brother. So, she had spent the last thirty minutes cleaning out a cell that had been emptied for her, all by herself. She hummed a small tune to herself as she went along. She was proud of herself.

She figured she needed to do something by herself. Sometimes, Satoko thought that she was just a burden on her brother, who was always worrying about her and trying to protect her. It hurt her to see him work so hard for her.

She continued to walk down through the forest without a care. It was a rather dark night, and she was having trouble seeing anything. _Maybe I should have brought a flashlight instead of those random traps I got the other day. _She put a hand on her pocket, which contained a small contraption she got from a store. It was similar to a smoke bomb, in a way, and she had planned to surprise Satoshi and Rika with it when she opened the door. Usually, she could make her own traps, though this one was a little advanced for her to make.

_Well, it can't be helped…_

Footsteps could be heard, ones that were rather heavy. Satoko froze and looked around her, narrowing her eyes. She hoped that it would give her a better view of what was around her, though it didn't do too much good. Even so, the girl decided to keep looking. However, upon looking some more, she realized that she might have imagined it. There weren't any more footsteps, after all.

She continued onwards, only to hear more footsteps. And at that moment, she knew. It wasn't just her imagination.

She heard him before he ran. As fast as she could, she jumped out of the way, allowing the figure that had lunged for her to fall to the ground. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the man that was now lying on the ground. Who was he? As fast as he could, the man stood up and brushed his face off, as some dirt had gotten in his eyes from his failed attempt at a tackle.

This was enough time for Satoko to take a look at the figure in front of her. It was the figure of an adult man, though she couldn't figure out _who_ it was. His head was covered with a hood, and his eyes were hard to make out in the darkness. She bit her lip as she took a few steps back, knowing that the man before him had to be the kidnapper. He had taken three students the day before, so it wouldn't be strange if he went after her now.

And yet, she didn't feel scared. Whoever the man was, he had made a wrong choice. She was the last person he wanted to mess with.

The man ran at her again, his arms outstretched. Satoko acted quickly and took the "smoke bomb" out of her pocket and activated it, throwing it on the ground. Thick smoke sprayed out as she ran away, coating the man who was now trying to shield his eyes from the smoke. He was coughing a little, as well as cursing under his breath. Really, he should have thought twice when he decided to mess with her.

This gave her enough time to get a good distance away from the man, though he eventually broke free from the smoke. She looked behind her, finding that he was rather fast. She mumbled something under her breath as she picked up the pace; using whatever strength she had in order not to be caught. She knew that she would probably die if she were to be caught.

She looked down at the floor and grinned. This forest was her dominion, practically. She had used this exact spot to practice her traps, and some of them were still remaining. Knowing that there was a trip wire there, she jumped over it and continued running, a smirk plastered on her face.

The man didn't notice. He was too focused on the girl in front of him to look down, and he ended up tripping over the wire. It lost him some time, and when he got up, the distance between him and Satoko had increased. He cursed again as he got up, running for the girl with all his strength.

He didn't seem to catch on, though. He ended up activating another trap, this time one that sent a bucket of water down on his head. It didn't help much in the chase, but it was still rather funny. Now wet and even angrier, the man was determined to catch the girl. He had never had such a hard time kidnapping any of the children before. Usually, he'd just have to grab them and they'd be caught, but this girl was different. She was actually fighting back, and she was _winning._

The thought just enraged him more. He tried to run faster, but Satoko was too good. She had quite the distance on him, and it looked as if he wasn't going to catch up anytime soon.

And, as fast as he could, he began to charge at the girl. He couldn't let her get away now!

That's when he felt something around his ankle, something that had pulled him upwards. The next thing he knew, he was hanging upside-down from a tree from a rope that somehow got its way around his ankle. He struggled to get free, but the rope that was used was one that was very tight and sturdy. It would break, but he had no idea _when _it would break.

Satoko turned around, seeing that the man had been caught in her device. She gave him a victorious smirk, knowing that the rope wouldn't come undone for a good ten minutes. Her house wasn't too far away, and she could get in there within a matter of a minute. She had won this battle. And with one last arrogant grin, just to bother him, she ran off into the woods and far away.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**END OF THE QUARTER! Gosh, my grades probably fail. I actually got my history essay back, though. Now I just need that project and quiz grade back. But you know what? First quarter never goes well for me. It's third and second that are best for me, as it's the middle of the year. Fourth is just when I crash. It's that time when I just decide I've had enough of school.**

**I have a long weekend. Monday, the teachers are writing up comments for our report cards, so we get a day off. It makes me happy! So guess what? That means I should have more chapters up this weekend! Isn't that exciting?**

**Please review! I love reviews! You can have a Satoko plushie if you review, and a free sample of one of her traps if you point out typos! And what I mean by that is, you're the one using it. Y-You don't get caught in it, unless you **_**want**_** to get caught in it. I don't know **_**why**_** you'd want to be caught in it, though. Please share predictions and thoughts, as this chapter had a lot, and I mean a **_**lot**_** of build-up! Also, quite a bit of scenes hinting at what's going to happen. Next chapter is going to have a ton of action. Trust me on that one. …Actually, don't. I may or may not change it. But right now, I'm 73% sure that it'll be next chapter.**

**Here's a goal for you guys. 100 Reviews. If you get 100 reviews, I'll write up a nice, fluffy KeiMi oneshot. Why that? …I torture them too much. It may not appear in my fanfictions as of right now… but… pff… you should see this one idea I have in my head. It's not nice…**

**And now I am off to play my new 3DS game. I needed one. I only had one before today…(Now I sound spoiled ._.). And why isn't the document editor working for me? It won't load all the way... which sucks, because that's how I find paragraph scrunches and that's how I remove typos. I can't do that if it's like this...**

**~Crimso**


	22. Chapter 21: Love

**Crimso's Notes**

**Oh, how I love the weekend! I can stay up until 3 AM AND get writing done! That's a really good thing! Man, I spent all of Saturday night doing nothing, though. So it's 3:53 on a Sunday as I'm writing this. I was supposed to go and help out with the bake sale my mom and little sister organized… but I didn't feel like it. This chapter should be exciting for some of you, so get ready for some action! I hope that I can get a few chapters done this week. It's the start of the second quarter. We shouldn't have too much. But don't trust me on that one.**

**Note: As I said before, this chapter has some stuff happening in it. Quite a bit, actually. …Just wait and you'll see what I mean by that in a little bit.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Love**

"Huh, you said you SAW the kidnapper?" Keiichi spoke in disbelief. "But Satoko, how? Did he come after you?"

Satoko nodded. "He came after me, but that lame guy was no match for me! My old traps did the trick. I had a trip wire and a rope trap set up, and when those activated… boom! The guy fell behind. The rope trap did it mostly, though. Had him hanging down from the tree for an hour or two! Ohohohohoho!" She stuck her chest out with pride, folding her arms over it. "But it would have been nice if he had stayed there. When I came back, he had gotten down. Too bad. We could have turned him in or something."

It was a sunny day, and as soon as the whole group of friends had gathered at school, Satoko informed them that she had had an encounter with the child kidnapper. According to her, she had been walking home from the Furude demon storage when it had happened. The kidnapper had come out of nowhere and attacked her. But, fortunately, Satoko's traps were just too much for him. For that reason, Satoko was now standing in front of them, boasting about how she managed to outsmart a grown man. The whole group was glad to know that she was okay, but what they were most interested in was the identity of the man.

"It was too dark, I couldn't see," was all Satoko would say to anyone when they asked her about it. "He was a man, though. An adult man."

Because of that, the group was now trying to narrow down the people it could be. No longer could the suspect be a woman or a child. The person who had done it was an adult man who seemed to have a good amount of strength.

Rena began to scratch her head as she pondered what Satoko had been telling her. "No specific grown men come to mind when I think about it. I don't think there's any one man that would want to kidnap a child. They all seem to be nice to me…" She sighed as she shook her head. "I guess that's not the case though, huh? A grown man…"

"He was sort of a big man. He didn't have a scrawny figure or anything like that. I doubt it was an old man. He was too fast for that!" Satoko explained to all of them, trying to picture the man in her head. It had been so dark that night, and she was having a hard time trying to remember what the figure looked like.

That narrowed it down some more. Onigafuchi was crawling with old men, so that took out quite a few options. The culprit was a middle-aged man, who was rather large. There were still quite a few middle-aged men that were large, but it certainly narrowed things down and overall made thing easier for the group. Figuring out the culprit from that alone would be tough, so they figured that they would have to wait on the idea and think about it just a little more in their heads. For now, they would wait for more evidence.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Satoko," sighed Satoshi, patting the girl on the head, as he would always do to her. "I was worried when you told me about the whole thing…"  
>Satoko grinned at her older brother. "Who did you take me for, Nii-nii? I told you that I would be okay when the kidnapper came!" she cried out.<p>

"You see, Satoshi? You had nothing to worry about!" replied Takeru, looking at the other make with a smile on his face. "You were really upset when Kimura Yoshio went missing, and I think that you have no reason to worry anymore. I'm sure that guy will think twice before he messes with Satoko again!"

Satoshi looked unsure, however. "But he may want to go back and get her, because he may be angry at her for getting away. Plus, she figured out what he looked like, for the most part, which could be crucial in revealing his identity." A look of worry plastered his face as he looked down at his shoes. "He may go after her again. I think this time, I won't let Satoko out by herself at night…"

Satoko frowned. "I can go outside by myself at night! I'm old enough to do that! Besides, I'll just set up some more traps! If he comes for me, I'll just activate them," she reassured, not feeling any worry at all.

"But he may be used to the traps, now that he knows what you used!" protested Satoshi, not one bit reassured by his sister's words. "Satoko, he knows that you're going to use the trip wires and the rope again. He knows about your smoke bombs. He'll be prepared this time!" he cried out, fear within his reddish-purple eyes. Despite his sister's words doing some good for him last time, it didn't seem to work at all this time. He was just too concerned for her sake, which was completely understandable. Satoshi had every right to worry for his sister.

But he was forgetting how strong Satoko could be at times. Sure, Satoshi's argument was plausible. He may or may not come knowing that Satoko was probably going to trick him with some kind of trip wire. However, Satoko had other traps up her sleeve. Satoko's list of traps didn't end at trip wires and rope traps, as it contained other things like falling rocks and tacks. There were many things that she could do to keep the man away from her. Satoshi was just too worried.

"Remember the time where you scared off those demons, Satoshi?" Keiichi reminded the boy as he turned to face him, a serious look on his face. "You could defend her, too, if things were to happen like that."

Satoshi thought back, though he still seemed unsure about the whole situation. That was the way he was, after all. He often worried, and doing such was just a part of his characterization. They couldn't change that part about him very easily.

"Just keep watch. Satoko, I think it's better that you don't go outside," Rena told her softly, bending down so that she was at the height of the yellow-haired girl. "I know you're a big girl, but it's better that you don't do that. You could be putting yourself in danger, and Satoshi-kun gets very scared every time you do such a thing." She reached out to ruffle the girl's head, smiling. "Rena will have to take you home if you don't listen!" she joked.

Satoko looked down, grumbling. "Fine, fine. If you don't want me to catch that guy, then fine."

Rena gave her another smile. "Don't worry. You've given us a good amount of information, and just from that, we can figure out the culprit if we think about it hard enough. You've done well!" she praised the girl, trying to cheer her up. She knew that Satoko had a great amount of pride, and doing things like not allowing her to be by herself would surely hurt it. But Satoko's safety was more important than her pride, so they had to ignore such a thing for now.

The yellow-haired girl grunted, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away from the group, an annoyed scowl on her face. She knew that her words were hurting the girl, but she had to think of her safety before anything else.

"Thank you, Rena," Satoshi spoke as he turned to look at the orange-haired girl, a look of relief on his face. "I don't think I would have been able to convince her…"

Rena shook her head. "She would have listened to you, Satoshi. You need to think better of yourself…"

Satoshi shifted uncomfortably at that comment and said nothing.

It was true. Satoshi never thought highly of himself. He felt as if he couldn't protect Satoko, when that was clearly not true. He could do so easily. He had saved Satoko from an angry demon before, after all.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Keiichi sighed as he lay back on his futon, grumbling over how things had gone that day. They hadn't progressed on finding out anything about the murderer yet, and they had found some important details on the kidnapper, but both names were still unknown. How was he going to find out who the kidnapper was just by knowing that he was a middle-aged man? Meanwhile, there were no hints at all on the murderer. All that was known was that he could kill demons and humans easily, and that wasn't too much of a hint. He didn't know anyone who _could_ do such a thing, after all. He doubted anyone knew.

The idea of killing demons seemed strange to all the villagers. Had it not happened before, besides the time where Koichi had killed Makoto? Well, there was the incident with Oryou, but it seemed as if most of the villagers didn't know about that. Rika did, as she was a Furude, but most people were unaware that there were only two Sonozaki demons remaining, as evident from what Takeru had been telling people. He was speaking as if there were more demons, and no one commented on the fact that he only had two.

Now, of course, the Sonozakis had no demons. Mion and Shion were both away from them now, and while they were in his care, he did not like to say that they belonged to him. They were friends that were staying in his place, not his pets. The villagers tended to treat the demons a little bit like dogs sometimes, as they forced them to wear collars and sometimes leashes. He never treated Mion and Shion that way, and saying that he was their owner sounded like they were his servants or something like that. He didn't like that idea at all.

So, in a sense, they were free demons.

Free demons didn't exist anymore. Koichi had captured all of the demons after he killed Makoto, and there were none roaming about anymore. Mion and Shion would be the only ones, then, though they weren't totally free, as they still couldn't be in public and go anywhere they wanted. He gulped as he thought about how terrible he felt for confining them. _I shouldn't dwell on this much longer. I have to do it. It's not like I'm doing it to hurt them like the Sonozakis were. They had an option. I don't._

Mion and Shion were sitting in the corner of the room, playing a game of cards. He was originally going to do so, but he decided not to, as he found that he had a few things to think about right now. His parents had listened to his requests not to go into his room, but how long would that last for? Would they someday go in without asking? He gulped as he thought about what would happen if they were to open the door and see the demons there. What would they think?

His parents had somehow managed to avoid finding out about the existence of the demons, but Keiichi was now wondering how long that would last for.

He sat up in his futon, looking over to the two demons as he watched them play. They looked so happy. Shion, of course, seemed to be no match for Mion, as she had about twelve cards while Mion had two, but she didn't seem to care all that much. Shion was the type of person who would do that. She could accept her defeat quickly, as she knew that her sister would beat her no matter what. However, doing such a thing didn't stop her from having fun. She was enjoying the game, even though she knew that any chance of winning was now nonexistent.

Mion, on the other hand, was competitive and fiery. She loved competition, and she was very witty when it came to coming up with strategies for winning, as evident with the game of _Clue_ they were playing before. She had never played that game before, and yet, she managed to come up with a way to win. She was incredibly smart in that way. Mion also spoke about how she was a great fighter, though he had never seen her in action before. He glanced over to the corner of the room, where the two, sheathed katanas lay unused against the wall. Could she really fight that well, or was she just boasting?

No. Mion wasn't the type of person to do that. She was honest, and had never lied to him before. There was no way she was lying about her skill in fighting. Judging by the fact that she was honest, and the fact that she was so competitive, it was safe to assume that she really _did_ know how to fight.

Keiichi watched a little more, gazing as Mion cried out in victory as she placed her final card down. Her sister clapped for her as she did, having accepted her defeat long before it happened. She wore a huge smile on her face, one that for some reason made Keiichi's heart jump. She just looked so beautiful with that smile. He tried to ignore that thought as best as he could, though, but as soon as he took another good look at her, he found himself smiling as well.

"Good job, sis! You win again!" cried Shion, clapping her hands together.

"Thank you, sis! This demon here always does her best!" replied Mion with a great amount of pride in her voice.

"I wouldn't have expected any less from you," responded her sister, a sweet smile on her face.

Yes, Shion really _was_ having fun, even though she knew she was going to lose. He realized that she could do such a thing, unlike him. He never was able to accept loss. Whether or not that was a bad thing hadn't been determined, however.

He finally got up from the futon. "I'm going to go talk to my parents for a little bit," he explained to the twins when they looked over at him, slightly confused. They just nodded as he walked out of his door, shutting it behind him. Every time he left them alone, he felt a little nervous. What if his parents were to go into his room without him saying anything? He gulped at the idea, but decided to move on from it. They were downstairs, and now that he was going to talk to them, he knew they weren't going to go upstairs and into his room without permission.

"Ah, Keiichi!" his mother greeted him as he went into the kitchen and began to pour himself a glass of cold milk. "How are you?"  
>"Fine, thank you," he responded as he placed the milk carton back into the fridge, then shutting it. "How are things now that you've come back?" he asked his mother before he took a sip of his cool milk.<p>

She smiled. "Oh, they're wonderful. I was sad when I had to go to the city and leave it. It's nice to be back in this nice, peaceful, rural village. The city was too busy. Here, there's nothing going on and it's all quiet and nice. I think that we needed a time like this," she responded as she took a sip of the tea she had been drinking when Keiichi walked in.

He couldn't help but cringe when he heard what she said. _Nothing happening, huh?_ How didn't they know about the murder of the village leader, and the kidnapping of all the children? Sure, they had been away when all of that came up, but that wasn't much an excuse. Everyone in the village was talking about it. They should have heard about it one way or another. Perhaps the villagers were trying to hide it, much like his friends had tried to do. However, their attempts to do so had failed, though it was mainly because of Satoko's little slip during the tour. Adults probably had a smaller chance of doing that.

He sipped his milk. Whenever the time was to come where his parents found out, they would be _very_ shocked.

"I agree with your mother. We needed this time," his father added on as he scanned through the book that he was reading about famous artists. "I'm glad we decided to come here, and I'm glad you've settled in and forgotten about your fears from before…"

Sure, he wasn't all that scared of demons anymore, as he was now living with two, but his father was referring to the fact that he had given up on the idea of them existing, which was certainly not true. Demons did exist. He didn't want to say anything that suggested their existence to him, so he just nodded at his father and said nothing more on the subject. He continued to sip his milk as he thought about random things, such as his art project he had been working on that day.

Suddenly, a knocking was heard from the door. "I'll get it," Keiichi's mother said before anyone else could as she walked over to the door. Keiichi wondered who it could be, but he went back to thinking about his art project and the math homework he had been doing in class. His art project looked more like a lumpy potato than anything else…

"Who are you?" asked his mother.

The person in the doorway said nothing to answer that question. "Excuse me for intruding. I wish to speak to your son."

Keiichi's attention was caught. Who was there? It was a man's voice, and it was one that seemed strangely familiar to him, though he couldn't put a finger on it. Whoever it was, though, his voice seemed rather deep and too old to be one of his friends. He was probably a middle-aged man, if anything.

"…All right. By the way, I can't see your eyes with that hood," his mother commented.

He nodded. "I know," he responded, and then he walked over to Keiichi. Keiichi looked up from his cup of milk, his eyes widening as he looked at the figure that was approaching him. He was clothed in a long jacket, and he was wearing the hood over his eyes. It was impossible to make out _who_ the figure was. He was sort of a big guy, and he looked as if he were around thirty.

He was about to say something, when the man spoke first.

"Give them to me," he said.

And at that moment, something clicked in his mind. The pieces all fit together. The middle-aged man, the search for the Sonozaki demons, the murderer… His eyes went wide. Before him was the guy who had been kidnapping children, and now, it was highly likely that he was also the one who had killed eight demons, Kimiyoshi, and stole forty-three of them. And now, he was asking for Shion and Mion.

He gulped. "I don't know what you're talking about…" he replied, as that was the first thing that came to his mind. A look of fear was clear on his face, and his parents became confused.

"Give what back, Keiichi? Have you taken something?" his father asked.

The man's frown was the only thing he could see of his face. "Don't play dumb, Maebara Keiichi. Where are they?" he asked again, his harsh tone the only way he knew how angry the man was.

"I-I-I-I…" He was stuttering, and he knew that wasn't doing him any good _at all_. "I-I-I didn't take anything…"

"Liar," hissed the man. He grabbed Keiichi roughly by the shoulder and pulled him up from his seat. He looked down upon the boy, his eyes able to see him, though Keiichi not being able to see his eyes. "Tell me where they are!" he demanded, his tone loud and rough. There was so much anger in his tone that it caused Keiichi to shudder, and a bead of sticky, hot sweat to trickle down from his forehead. If he could see his eyes, he was sure that they would be full with anger, and perhaps even intent to kill.

"Hey!" cried Keiichi's father as he stepped towards the man, an angry expression on his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing? If my son has done something wrong, ask him nicely. But don't grab him!"

The man did not let go of the grip in spite of that, causing Keiichi's father's temper to grow. He stepped even closer, rage in his eyes. "Hey—"

Before the sentence could be finished, the group of people in the room noticed the sound of scrambling and loud footsteps coming from upstairs. They could hear the footsteps begin to grow closer, and they then noticed the sound of their feet hitting the stairs. Both of Keiichi's parents grew horribly confused, but both the murderer and Keiichi knew who they were the moment they heard the footsteps.

Before anyone could react, the shiny blade of a katana came bursting through the room, almost slashing the concealed man's stomach open. He managed to jump out of the way before it hit, however, and landed close by.

Mion looked up at the man, rage filling her green eyes. "You! Don't you dare touch him!" she hissed at the man. She raised her katana at him, pointing the blade at his face threateningly. "I'll cut off your damn head!"

"Mion!" cried Keiichi. He had no time to be angry with her for revealing her figure in front of his parents. She had come to save him, after all.

Shion stood behind her, a katana also in one of her arms and the sheath on her back. She was growling at the man, fierceness in her green eyes that was unlike anything Keiichi had ever seen before.

Both of Keiichi's parents looked stunned as they observed the girls in front of them. They noted that they were both perfectly identical, save for the fact that one of them was wearing her hair up in a ponytail, though they also noted a pair of white horns on the top of both of their heads. They looked down to the collars around their necks, ones that were spiked. They instantly knew what they were when they saw those horns, and their fear suddenly grew high.

"Keiichi? What is this?" his father asked, his tone full of fear. "These are…"

Keiichi sighed as he looked at his parents. "I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. I was right about the demons," was all he could tell them. He didn't know how to explain that he had saved them from the clutches of the Sonozaki family, who had been treating them like a pile of dirt, so that's what he stuck with.

His parents were stunned. They didn't know what to say.

The man scoffed. "You didn't know about demons? How pathetic." He turned his gaze over to the boy in front of him, an evil smirk on his face. "This boy here, your son, stole these two demons from the great Sonozaki family. I've come to take both of them back, but it seems as if he has grown _attached_ to these vile beasts. How disgusting."

Keiichi felt rage grow within him. How _dare_ he call Mion and Shion vile beasts? They were _not_ vile beasts! "Mom, Dad! Don't listen to what he says!" he cried to the two of them. "It's true that I took them from the Sonozakis, but I had a reason to! They were trapped in their basement all their lives, and they weren't even getting fed or anything like that! They hadn't ever seen the outside world before… and I couldn't just leave them like that! So I… I…!" he didn't know what else to say.

"Oh, poor little beasts. Trapped underground and not fed! How horrible! A _demon _should _definitely_ be treated like a human! Poor, poor little evil monsters!" mocked the man.

Keiichi clenched his fists and tried to resist the urge to strangle the guy right on the spot. If he tried, he would be crushed. The man was much stronger than he was.

Mion and Shion both looked enraged. "How dare you!" cried Mion as she slashed the katana against the man without any warning. The man saw this coming, however, and the blade missed him, slashing through air instead of flesh. Mion cursed as she pulled her blade back, though she held it close. Fighting him now wouldn't be a good idea. He saw all her attacks coming, and he seemed to be able to dodge easily.

"Keiichi…" was all his parents could say.

The man sighed. "Well then, brat, if you're going to behave like that…" Without warning, the man raised his fist and punched the demon across the stomach, sending her into a wall. She cried out in pain as she clutched it, small tears welling up in her eyes. Keiichi glanced at the man, shock in his eyes. He wasn't a normal human! He couldn't be!

He walked over to Mion, his fists clenched and an evil smirk on his face. He rose his fist high in the air as he prepared to attack Mion once again. She looked at him with fierce eyes, challenging him to do it again. The punch had only worked for a little bit. It wasn't enough to keep the girl down.

And even so, Keiichi found himself running towards the scene, jumping in front of Mion and shielding her with his body. He pressed his body against hers, wrapping her arms around her tightly as he looked at the man. "Don't you touch her!" he cried out as he grasped the girl tighter. He knew that Mion was stronger than him, and that trying to protect her would just be hurting him and not her, but something inside of him made him want to shield her, even if that wouldn't do any good. The demons had been bullied enough. They didn't need this pain!  
>"I was right," grumbled the man. "You really do have a strange affection for demons…"<p>

Keiichi said nothing. He clenched his teeth and glared at him, determination in his eyes. And yet, there was fear in them, too. If that man were to punch him… would he fall down? He was strong enough to punch Mion into a wall, after all.

And yet, he did nothing of that sort. He just sighed. "Well, since the Sonozaki Head wants you alive so that she can kill you herself, I can't do anything about that. _However_…" He smiled at the boy. His smile, however, was not one that a person would wear if they were happy. It was sadistic and evil. "If you _don't_ hand the demons over in sixty seconds, I will be forced to take action, and you will regret your decision."

Keiichi became confused. "What will you do?" he asked him.

The man's smile did not fade. "I won't tell you that. It's better if you don't find out, so hand over those demons and you won't find out."

Keiichi clenched his teeth. If he handed over Mion and Shion, they would be sent back to the demon storage, and the head of the Sonozaki family would murder him, as the man had mentioned. However, if he didn't, he would do something that would make him regret not handing the demons over. What did that mean? It could mean anything. He wasn't going to kill him, as he said before, so what other options were there? _Shit. This guy is trying to make me all confused on purpose by not telling me what he's going to do if I don't hand the demons over! …But if I hand them over, then I'm going to die, and Mion and Shion will be put back! They won't be fed, they won't have a warm futon to sleep in, and they won't have an outside to play in! I can't give them!_

"Sixty seconds…" the man said as he looked at his watch. "I suppose that the fact that you haven't taken any action means that you are choosing not to hand them over?"

Keiichi nodded. This decision was final. He would _not_ hand those demons over.

"Don't do that, Kei-chan!" cried Shion from the other side of the room. "I don't mind going back! I'll just go with him and—"

"Stop, Shion!" yelled Keiichi. "I am not handing you over! Do not lie to yourself! You do _not_ want to go back there!"

Shion said nothing more. It was true. She would hate to go back there and be locked in a cell for the rest of her life. She may even be punished for escaping and seeing the outside world.

The man let out a sigh. "You leave me no choice, then. Fine. You'll regret this decision," he spoke. Then, he pulled a large knife out from the sleeve of his jacket. How he managed to keep it in there and not cut himself, he didn't know, but that wasn't what mattered. He began to clean off the dust on his knife with a small part of his jacket, and when he was done, he turned around with the knife.

Keiichi had no time to react. The man ran forward and lunged for his parents with the knife. Within a matter of seconds, he had impaled his father with the sharp blade and pulled it out, leaving him to die on the floor. Blood leaked out from the wound, and Keiichi realized that it wouldn't be much longer before he died. He lunged for his mother, but before he could get to her, Shion ran at the man with a katana, blocking off his path and defending Keiichi's mother.

"DAD!" screeched Keiichi as he ran towards his father. Now, Keiichi didn't know what to think. All along, he had been choosing between the twins and his parents. And he had left his parents to die. _But… that's too cruel. I couldn't… I couldn't let him kill either…_

His father coughed as he looked up at his son, his eyes tired. All Keiichi could think about was how he was dead because of what he had done. If only he had stopped the man…! "…I'm proud of you, Keiichi," his father managed to speak.

Keiichi blinked. "H-Huh?" he responded. He didn't know what else to say.

"You know… that demon you were defending… Mion, was it? I could tell. Keiichi… I'm glad I got to meet her…" he rasped out.

"W-Wha…" was all Keiichi could find to say.

"…The girl… that you love…"

Those were his final words. Within the next second, his father's heart had stopped beating. He didn't even get to say anything other than a "huh" and a "what?" to him before he died. He didn't give him a goodbye or anything. He had been too dumbstruck by what he was saying. …Did his father mistake Keiichi protecting her as love? _It's not like that, Dad… we're… just friends…_

His attention was quickly taken away by a yelp coming out from the man. He whipped around to find that man was struggling to fight Shion, and that she was having quite a hard time as well. The man had several cuts in his jacket, and there was some red blood seeping from it. She had managed to get small slashes at the man, though she hadn't quite dug into his flesh yet. No serious wounds were on him.

His mother was watching the whole scene with horrified eyes. Her husband had just been killed right before his eyes, and now, she was seeing what she thought could only be seen in horror movies. Demons were real.

"Mom!" screamed Keiichi. He didn't know what else to do. "Mom! Don't let him kill you!"

Mion ran at the man from behind with her katana, causing him to cry out as she slashed him across the back, digging into his flesh as she did so. It caused a huge wound in his back, and more blood yet began to seep out. Frustrated, the man ran forward and pushed the younger twin out of the way with his brutal strength, knocking her out of his path. As fast as he could, he lunged for Keiichi's mother, driving the knife into her stomach before removing it as fast as he could.

"M-Mom! No!" screamed Keiichi. Mion and Shion both looked horrified as they stared at the scene before them. They had failed to protect his mother.

"Keiichi…" choked his mother. "Goodbye… I love you…"

Keiichi didn't know what to say at first, but then he remembered how he didn't even get to say goodbye to his father before he passed. "Goodbye, Mom. …I-I love you too…" he managed to get out.

She nodded once before her life faded away as well.

Mion and Shion looked at each other. He had just lost his mother, and he seemed so sad. They couldn't understand why, as they had never experienced the affection of a mother. They had never been close to her, after all.

Keiichi looked at the man, who now wore an evil smirk on his face. He wondered why he didn't just try to kill Mion and Shion when he had run over to his mother, and when they were watching her. "Well, I said I'd make you regret your decision," was all he said. "Now, I'm going to be taking those two…"

He lunged forward and grabbed onto Shion as fast as he could, wrestling her down to the ground and pinning her underneath his weight. She cried out and began to kick and scream as she tried to break away from his grip, but she found that the man was just too strong. He had to be twice her size _and_ weight! She yelled curses at the top of her lungs when she realized she couldn't break free of his grip.

Keiichi felt tears well in his eyes. The man had just taken away his mother and father, and now, he was going to take away Mion and Shion, too. _I've worked… so hard to get to this point. And now… it's all gone…_

Was his effort to teach them for nothing? After all, they would now be taken back and thrown back in their cells. They would surely forget about what happiness was, as they would no longer have a way to experience it. They wouldn't be fed ever again, and they would never be able to play in the sunlight and experience what the world was. The Sonozaki family would once again strip them of their names, and they would return to being Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight. Everything would return to how things were when he found them. It would be like he had never come into their lives.

Images ran through his head. He remembered their first meeting, and then how happy they were when they saw him again. He remembered their reaction when they looked in the mirror for the first time, and then he pictured their smiles when they saw the meat that he had brought them. He could easily remember how Mion's personality changed the moment they began to play cards, and how she had explained to him that she didn't have emotions. The questions that she had asked him flooded back to him, and the sorrowful look in her eye whens he had spoke them. He could recall how they looked when they first escaped from that room, and their first moments outside. Playing tag, playing _Clue_, the time where Mion comforted him when he thought they were going to be taken away, and then how happy they had been when they were playing cards with each other just minutes ago… all the moments came back to him at once.

He couldn't give up. This man would _not_ take Mion and Shion away from him!  
>"Mion!" he screeched. "Get him! Now!"<p>

Mion, who had previously just been standing there with a look of horror on her face, nodded and ran at the man. She slammed the blade of the katana into his back, causing the man to shriek. Shion saw this as an opportunity, and she rammed her whole body into the man and pushed him right off of her. She stood up, brushing off her kimono and then looking at Keiichi.

"Yes! Mion! Shion! Good!" he cried out, excitement filling his tone. He looked down, seeing that the man was slowly getting up with his fists clenched. An alarm went off in his brain the moment he saw it, and he knew that he was going to attack him. "Quick! Run!" he ordered both of them, seeing the man's fist begin to rise up.

Mion and Shion nodded as they jumped away from the man. Keiichi glanced towards the front door, which was still wide open. Looking back to Mion and Shion, and then to the man, and then to the door, he knew what he had to do. "It doesn't matter if you're seen anymore! Let's get the hell out of here! Follow me!" he yelled to the both of them.

He dashed out into the night, leaving behind the bloody mess in the kitchen. Mion and Shion followed him close behind as he dashed for the trees. He had _no_ idea where he was going, but all he wanted to do right now was to get away from the man. After that, they could return home and report the whole incident to the police. He glanced behind him, realizing that the man was close behind, despite his wound. He had a look of annoyance on his face as he clutched the bloody knife in his hand. How he could run with that wound, he would never know, but that's not what mattered right now.

The three of them went deeper into the woods. A trail of blood was following behind them from the man. Surely someone would see and come after them. _But that doesn't matter, Maebara Keiichi! Just run_ _for your life! _He picked up his pace and gestured for the two demon twins to do the same. They were still holding onto their bloodstained katanas, which was hindering them a little bit.

He heard a yelp coming from behind him as the man caught up. The next thing Keiichi knew, Shion was staggering forward, the knife having slashed her back pretty deeply. There was fear in her eyes as she looked behind her, realizing that the man had caught up. He smirked as he held the knife against Shion once again, threatening to stab her right through the back.

"Who… ha… cares about what the Sonozaki family said about you two. I'm going to… kill you here… demon!" he cried out as he plunged the knife into Shion's back, causing another shriek to sound out from her.

"SIS!" screamed Mion. Before anyone could say anything, Mion began to slash at the man with her katana, not even thinking about her moves. There were tears in her eyes as she continued to slash the man in every place she could think of. She couldn't stand the fact that someone had just hurt her sister like that.

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed as she continued to slash at the man. "HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SISTER? ! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

The man growled as he used all his strength to push the girl out of the way, causing her to ram into a tree and yell out. She ignored the wound, though, and went straight back at the man, screaming as she tried to slash him once again. However, the man just punched her right back into the tree.

Blood began to trickle down Mion's mouth. And the first thing he noticed that Mion's blood was not the color of black like the book said. It was a crimson red.

_Koichi lied!_ He realized. He had already suspected such a thing, but now it was confirmed. A demon's blood did not flow black because they had no emotions. A demon's blood flowed red, because they had emotions. Just like a human.

Shion's back was also slick with crimson blood as she clutched at the wound. Her eyes were wide, and she was trembling. Normally, a girl like her would be dead, but since she was a demon, she was alive. He glanced over to Mion, who was struggling to go forward. The impact being slammed so many times had finally taken in, and Keiichi could see frustration in her eyes. Her pride must have been wounded far more than she was. She was such a competitive person who never lost. And now, here she was, wounded and struggling to move. She breathed heavily as she leaned against the tree, trying to rest.

After a while, she staggered towards the man once again, having gained a little more strength from waiting a bit. _Demons recover quickly… _Keiichi thought as stared at her. She was clutching the hilt of her katana further, ready to slash that man right open. However, it looked as if she was just going to get punched back into a tree.

The man was beginning to show signs, too. More crimson blood began to stain his back and the other wounds he had gotten from Mion, and he looked as if he too was suffering from pain. Glancing from Mion to Shion, who had recovered quite a little bit, he realized he still had a chance to get out of here if he were to take it _now._

"Guys! RUN!"

Without even thinking, he ran into the trees and far away. He didn't even look behind him as he ran further and further into the woods. Even though he wasn't wounded, he still felt as if he had been stabbed right through the heart. His parents were dead, Mion and Shion were injured, and he was slowly losing them. How was he going to treat their wounds? Sure, they were recovering, but they should still be looked at. Doctor Hayashi would know who they were from the collars, and he would be put to death. Those collars were impossible to remove. They had some kind of lock that required a key, and any other method, like tearing, was impossible since the collar was made of metal.

_I suppose the only method is to let them self-recover. They're demons. They shouldn't die all that easily…_

He ran further into the woods, his teeth clenched and tears running down his face. Such a beautiful day had changed into a bloodstained night. He could now officially call it the worst day ever. He noticed that his legs were beginning to grow tired, and that his breaths were growing heavier, but he didn't stop.

And then he noticed that there were no other footsteps aside from his own. And shortly afterwards, he noticed that no one was behind him.

He looked about. Mion and Shion were nowhere to be found. He gritted his teeth as he ran back into the woods, thinking that they had perhaps fallen behind. When he dashed backwards some more, beginning to look frantically around, he realized that he still couldn't find any trace of either twin. Had they even followed him the first place? Were they still behind with that man?

His felt his heart rate begin to escalate as he began to look some more, running about the whole forest like a madman. Where were they? He couldn't find them! He looked behind trees, in some bushes, and yet, they weren't there. He panicked as he dashed off in a random direction, not even knowing where he was going.

"MION! SHION!" he screamed out as he ran. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

He stopped when he thought he heard a voice. So he tried calling again.

"MION! SHION!"

"Right here…!" a voice called out.

Relief flooded over him as he ran in the direction in the voice. It was a little far away, but he could tell where it came from. His feet hit the forest floor as he ran as fast as he could, worried about how badly injured she could be. He stopped as he came to the spot where he had heard the voice come from. He looked about. "Mion? Shion?" he called out again.

"…Behind… the tree!"

Keiichi was about to ask which tree, but when he noticed a rather large tree standing right there, he no longer needed to. He circled around the tree, finding the source of the voice within seconds. His eyes began to tear up as he spotted Mion standing there, her back pressed tightly against the tree. She had some blood on her, and seemed rather worn, but it looked as if she had recovered mostly. She smiled at him when she spotted him.

"…Mion!" he cried out, rushing towards her. Without thinking, he pulled her into a tight embrace, his arms wrapping around her tightly. "Mion!" he cried again, pulling her closer. "Mion, Mion, oh Mion! I'm so glad I found you!"

Mion was stunned by his actions, not expecting to be hugged once again. She stood there as stiff as a statue as Keiichi held onto her tightly. She didn't know what to do.

Eventually he pulled away from her, a smile on his face. "Where's Shion?" he asked the girl.

Mion shook her head. "I was hoping you saw her…"

Silence. What if that man had caught Shion? Her wound was pretty bad, and it was likely that she didn't even run when he had screamed out to do so. However, the man's wounds were pretty terrible too, so it was likely that wasn't the case. What if she was still there, lying there with the injured man? "I think she may still be back there. Let's try to get back."

He didn't know how he was going to do that, though. He was in the middle of the woods, and he had no idea how to get to his house from the place he was. He sighed as he turned back to the place where he had came running from, where he had been when he heard Mion's cry. Mion followed him behind, a look of clear worry on her face as she thought about her sister.

Keiichi felt his heart begin to throb as he remembered how protective Mion had been of her sister when that man had stabbed her. She had gone berserk on him. She hadn't even bothered thinking about her moves. She had just slashed and slashed… It just went to show how close the two of them were. Now, as he saw the worry in his eyes, he could understand how she felt.

"W-What if he caught her?" Mion asked as she followed him through the endless amounts of trees. "What if she's back in the cell…?"

Keiichi shook his head. "Don't think like that…"

Keiichi stopped. He was sure he had been here when he heard Mion speak at first, as it wasn't too far away and the small amount of flowers that were there were the same. He changed his direction, now going back down the forest. If he went down some more, he would be at the place where Mion and Shion had been attacked.

He went further and further down, and eventually, he noticed he began to run once again. Mion was following him behind, now having sheathed her katana, though it still weighed her down. It reminded him of the time where they ran across the open when they had first escaped. She had had the same sheath on her back, which had been weighing her down. He gritted his teeth together as he remembered it. It was possible that the other twin he had been with at the time was caught, or maybe even _dead,_ though he doubted it, since she was a demon, and demons could usually survive wounds like a stab to the back. _Usually_.

He had killed the other demons with that knife, after all.

He tried to get rid of that thought. No… Shion wouldn't die…

After a ton of running, they reached a spot where blood covered the floor, and where there was a sign of a struggle. Glancing over to the tree Mion had been leaning against, he confirmed that this was the place where they had been attacked. However, both the man and Shion were gone. He looked about the trees nearby, hoping that Shion was there, but as hard as he looked, he found that she just _wasn't_ there.

"SIS!" screamed Mion at the top of her lungs, a look of worry and panic on her face. "WHERE ARE YOU!"

"Don't worry, Mion… We'll find her. Here, maybe she went—"

Before Keiichi could even finish what he was saying, Mion had dashed off into the trees. A look of alarm painted Keiichi's face for a few seconds before he too dashed after her. She did not stop running, even when he shouted at her to stop. She began to run everywhere throughout the forest, searching behind every tree she could find as she screamed for her sister.

"SIS! SIS! SIS! SIS!" cried Mion as she ran deeper into the forest, her eyes wide with fear. "TELL ME IF YOU'RE HERE! TELL ME! SIS!"

Keiichi followed her as she ran about the forest. He wasn't even sure where she was going, but wherever it was, he was sure that it didn't have a better chance of having Shion there than anywhere else she had looked. This forest was huge. She could be _anywhere_ in the forest.

The search continued on. Mion screamed more and more for her sister as she ran throughout the forest, but she still couldn't find her, no matter how hard she looked. She wasn't even thinking straight anymore. She was just running in random places, sometimes to places she had already been before, and screaming out for her sister. It was clear that she had no idea where she was going or where or sister could be. She was just desperate for her at this point.

It became more obvious when the two of them ended right back up at where they started. She had been running in circles the whole time. Mion's eyes were wide as she realized this, and before he knew it, she had collapsed to the ground, exhausted from having run so much. There were tears visible in her eyes, and they were beginning to hit the grass as she lay on it, trembling. Her eyes were widened with worry and fear, something Keiichi thought he would _never_ see on the girl. She was so strong.

"Mion," Keiichi told her gently. "You're… you're tired. Let's get back to the house… we'll find Shion tomorrow…" It was a tough decision, but he couldn't allow Mion to be like this anymore. She was worn. All she needed now was a good rest and a good sleep, and then in the morning, they could find her. It was night, and it was hard to find anything in the darkness. Besides, they could perhaps ask Rena to help look for her later. She was probably asleep now. She had mentioned liking to sleep early before….

"NO! HELL NO! I'M NOT GOING TO!" screamed Mion as she struggled to stand up, though she just ended up collapsing on the floor again. "I NEED HER! I NEED MY SIS!" She began to punch the floor in frustration as she began to bawl, large teardrops hitting the grass. "I can't! I can't be without my sis! How… how I am I going to sleep without her?"

Then it hit him. Mion and Shion had been together for their entire lives. Never had they been away from each other. They spent every single day in that dreaded cell together, and they spent every single night snuggled close together. This was the first time Mion had been away from her sister, and the other way around, too. Being away from her sister must be scary for her, and not to mention heartbreakingly different. She had always had her sister's warmth to depend on. Now, it was gone.

"D-Don't worry… you… you can sleep one night without her…" he tried to reassure. "…So come home… let's… sleep…"

She shook her head as she continued to cry. "I'm not going home without her!"

Keiichi bent down besides her, gently touching her back with his hand. "Mion… please. I promise you we'll find her in the morning," he told her gently.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, which was still brimming with tears. "Do you promise we'll find her tomorrow? First thing tomorrow?" she asked, showing a sign of giving into the idea of going home. Sure, she was still forcing Keiichi to make a promise to find her as soon as possible, but she was now listing to her, at least.

"I promise," replied Keiichi. "Now, come."

She got up from her spot and nodded. Keiichi sighed and began to walk back to the house. It would be a mess when they got back. He needed to tell someone about the incident, tell someone that the man had come in and killed his parents. But he didn't know how to explain it all. How was he going to explain why the man had done so? He couldn't mention Mion and Shion, and it wouldn't make sense if he were to say the person who had killed Kimiyoshi came in and killed his parents for no reason when he was known for stealing and killing demons.

He ended up back at the house and wandered up the stairs, a sniffling Mion behind him as he made his way to his room. He didn't know how he was going to explain anything to anyone, so he decided he'd sleep on it. It was a silly idea, but there was nothing he could do for now. He opened the door to his room, leading Mion inside of it.

The first thing Mion did was collapse on her futon and snuggle up in it, trying to get some sleep. He could tell she looked upset and uncomfortable, though. It was different from being cuddled up against the warmth of her sister. With a sigh, Keiichi turned the lights off, and after getting changed _very_ quickly so that Mion didn't see him, he made his way towards his own futon. He needed to get some sleep. He was dead tired with all that had happened that day.

He was finding it hard to sleep. His parents were dead, and Shion had possibly been captured, and maybe even _dead_. He had lost so many things in one day. He felt as if he had lost everything, and that he was alone. His parents had been with him forever, and had taken care of him forever. They had supported him after he had confessed about the incidents with the gun, and they had taken him to a village where he had met the best friends he could ever have. His father was a little eccentric and crazy at times, but he had loved him anyways. His mother was nice and kind, and would never hesitate to help him. And now, they were both gone. They would never return.

It wasn't even just that. Shion could be captured or dead, and it would be his fault as well. He hadn't been able to do anything besides stand in front of Mion when they had been attacked. It was all his fault. _Everything_ was his fault. His parents died because of what he did, and Shion had gone missing because of what he did as well. Even if his parents had lived, that would mean that he would have to have given up Mion and Shion. Then, they would be sent back, and he would die. That would have also been his fault.

_I hate myself._ He buried his head into his pillow as he thought about this. These thoughts caused him to think about the little girl who was now probably half-blind. She probably was missing half of the world because of his silly actions. And what about the people he had injured? He had probably left a big impact on them as well. And it was _his fault._

Keiichi heard footsteps. He looked up to find Mion looking down at him, tears in her eyes. She also couldn't sleep. Even if she wanted to sleep, she couldn't, simply because she didn't have the warmth of her sister next to her. Her eyes were filled with pain, and Keiichi noticed that her tears had returned. He was about to say something to her, but before he could take action, she did. She had pulled off the covers of the futon, and the next thing he knew, she had placed herself down beside him.

"M-Mion?" he spoke, disbelief in his voice.

"…I need someone," was all she said. She pulled the covers over the both of them before she closed her eyes, and then Keiichi felt her warm body press against his. He blushed at the touch, wondering if Mion knew what the implications of a man sleeping next to a woman were. She seemed to not know, though, as she was now snuggling her body against his. This action caused his face to turn a deep shade of tomato red. Now, he was pretty sure she didn't understand the implications. Her arms wrapped around his body as she pulled her body as close as she could against his.

And then, her eyes shot open, revealing shock in them.

"M-Mion?" he stuttered.

"…You're warm, too," she said. He felt her grip on him grow tighter as she pressed herself closer to him, if that was even possible in the first place. "But it's kind of funny. It's like a different kind of warm."

Keiichi blinked at her. "A different kind of warm?" he repeated.

Mion nodded. "Yeah. It's a similar warm feeling… but yet, it's different. For some strange reason, my heart is beating really fast…" she whispered. She pressed her chest close to his, causing the boy to blush redder than he had been before. Nope, she _definitely_ didn't understand how intimate her actions were. "Can you feel it? It's beating really fast. My cheeks are feeling kind of hot too…" She sighed happily. " I feel happy being with you. You're so warm. It makes me want to be with you… always…"

Keiichi felt his heart nearly stop. Warmth, a beating heart, heat in cheeks… he had only heard about it from books, but he knew that emotion.

_Love…_

But it was a different love than the one Mion talked about when she held Shion close. No. This was a _romantic_ love. She was _in love_ with him. The thought made Keiichi freeze. She was… in love with him? But how did she fall in love with him? He wasn't sure what to think. No one had ever fallen in love with him before. The thought was strange.

Mion, the strong, tomboy demon, was in love with him.

She sighed again as she allowed herself to relax, finally feeling some comfort. She wasn't crying anymore. She was happy, relaxed.

What was he going to do, now that she was in love with him? This situation was kind of… strange. Especially since her body was pressed so close against his. With a sigh, and without thinking, he wrapped his own arms around her and snuggled against her as well, seeking some form of comfort.

And that's when he noticed it.

_His_ heart was beating fast, too.

He felt his cheeks heat up as she looked at the girl in front of her. She was a strong girl, who, despite having lived in a basement all her life, was still able to be happy when she played games. She wasn't completely broken, and she had somehow managed to stay strong throughout the time she was in the basement. He pictured the smile on her face when she had first mentioned cards. She had looked so happy when she mentioned it, despite the fact that it had been filled with mischievousness.

She had made him feel better when he thought she was going to die, she had played so many games with him and made him feel like the happiest person in the world, and she had given him a reason to live. She had set his goal in life.

And, now, knowing that she was in love with him, he didn't feel totally worthless anymore.

He sighed as he snuggled against her, too. She was so warm… just like Mion had said he was. He felt his heart thump wildly in his chest as he relaxed, feeling her own heartbeat against his own. She shifted slightly, adjusting to his position against her, and then returned to being still. There was a strangely large smile on his face as he looked at her, observing how strong and beautiful the girl before him truly was.

_…Never mind, Dad. You were right. …I'm in love with her…_

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**The fact that the Mirai Nikki opening just came on my iTunes must be a sign, as I told myself I absolutely cannot watch the episode until I'm finished. And I just finished. Well, this was a long chapter. And it took quite a long time to write! It's 10,000 words! I only have one more chapter in this fanfiction that's this long. And that is, of course, chapter thirteen. I hope that this chapter wasn't too bad. For some reason, I'm not feeling so strong about it.**

**So, a lot happened. I hope that you will share what you thought about what happened and any predictions you have when you write a review! You should, by the way. And I'm glad I got 100 reviews. I FEEL SO EPIC NOW! Yesss! And your reward is a KeiMi oneshot. I'll see when that gets up. Maybe I'll write it after BFB, maybe in the middle when I feel like writing fluff. Although I don't know when that will be, seeing as I just wrote a pretty fluffy scene there. Did you guys like the fluff? Let me know when you leave a review.**

**And speaking of reviews, please do it! Reviewers can get a Keiichi AND Mion plushie. I've given them out before, but this time, it's a set~. People who point out typos can get a plushie of Shion! Oh, and please add predictions. Where do you think Shion is now? Do you think she's alive? Has she been captured? What will Mion and Keiichi do now that she's gone? Will they ever find her? What's going to happen now that Keiichi knows he loves Mion? …I'm just giving you a few things I'd like to hear from you guys. I don't want to be greedy, even though I am and greed is my favorite of the Seven Deadly Sins, so you don't have to answer that. I just would LIKE to. That's all. And, my document uploader still isn't working 100%. I can't fix typos or paragraph scrunches at the moment. I HOPE that changes :|.**

**I hope I'm not coming off as greedy or anything like that… D:.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: A day later, Doc Editor has been fixed. YESSSS.**


	23. Chapter 22: Trust

**Crimso's Notes:**

**The idea of going back to school after a long weekend makes me want to cry… Really, it does. I can't stand the idea of being back in the classroom tomorrow, doing some work. I would much prefer to be writing this fanfiction, or playing games on my 3DS or on the computer. Really, I dislike school. But then again, who doesn't? It's really getting in my way this year.**

**My head hurts. I hope this doesn't affect my writing. Maybe it's because I've been playing my 3DS a lot. …I dislike images in 3D… even though I have a 3DS.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Trust**

A memory was constantly repeating in Shion's head. All she could seem to remember was that man's knife plunging into her back, and then her sister's cries when she went to slash up that man for doing such a thing to her. After that memory, there was the memory of Keiichi telling her to run, which she did. She ran far, far away from that man. But the problem was, she didn't know where she was going when she ran. She had just taken off in a random direction, and hadn't followed Keiichi.

_Sis… _this was the one word that was running through her mind as she remembered these incidents. She pictured her sister with the katana in her hand, screaming as she slashed the man up in every spot she could find. She was not nice to him, and she had had a perfectly good reason to be mad. The thought of her sister warmed her heart. She was such a wonderful sister.

But now, for some reason, all Shion felt was emptiness.

What had that man done to Mion? Had he caught her? She didn't know. She hadn't been anywhere near her sister when _it_ had happened. The man may or may not have caught her. She could be suffering now. Thinking about that basement made Shion want to punch a hole through someone's head. That was the last place she wanted to be, even if it was with her sister.

But perhaps it would be better than to be anywhere without her.

She was alone now. Her sister was somewhere, maybe caught, and she didn't have her by her side anymore. Where she had gone, Shion didn't know. But what she did know was that she'd rather have her by her side underground in a cell than to be where she was right now.

Well, maybe. She wasn't even sure _where_ she was. Everything that passed through her head were just memories and sounds. She knew that she was dreaming, and yet, for some reason, she found herself unable to wake up. She wanted to do so, to escape the painful memories, but for some reason, she just couldn't.

And then an image flashed through her mind, one that was not a memory. She pictured the man grabbing Mion, and then attaching a leash to her collar and dragging her away with him, perhaps to the Sonozaki family, where they would imprison her. Not only that, but she was sure that they would punish her if that were the case. Perhaps they would find the most brutal way to do so. And maybe, just maybe, they would just kill her when she got there. There was no point in them being there, anyways. They had been just sitting there underground like trophies. There was no need for them. Perhaps the family head would final realize that and just kill her on the spot.

Another image came to her mind. This time, it was the image of the man holding a knife to Mion's throat before slashing it open, killing her. It was one that made her blood boil, and her fear escalate. She knew it was just a dream, but the very image of her being killed made Shion want to scream. What would she do without her sister?

She didn't know. And that's why she would prefer to be with her sister than anywhere else.

"Sis…" she whispered in her sleep. "Sis, sis, sis…"

Once again, the image of her dying appeared, causing Shion to shift uncomfortably in her sleep.

"Sis… sis… SIS!" she screamed out.

And with that, her eyes flew open, fear in them. The first thing she caught sight of was another pair of eyes, ones that instantly filled with shock when they saw her eyes shoot open without any warning whatsoever. The eyes blinked once or twice before the whole figure of the person jumped up, startled. He looked really scared for some reason.

"Gah!" he cried out. "D-Don't scare me like that!"

Shion blinked up at him, confused.

A sigh sounded out from the back of the room. "I told you that she was going to wake up! Man, getting scared like that… that's really just like you!" a voice called out.

"...Sorry! It was so sudden and…!" the figure protested.

"I'm going to go make a call… you work on what you were doing," sighed the voice. Footsteps followed, and the second figure disappeared out of the room.

The person who had been startled when she woke up sighed. He sat back down again, looking back into her green eyes. "I'm sorry about that. But… you just scared me." He rubbed the back of his head.

Shion blinked at him. "…Where am I?" was the first thing she asked, disregarding what had just happened. She looked about the place she was in, finding that it wasn't a cell of any sort or anything that looked like the Sonozaki basement. Another thing was for sure, and that was that she certainly wasn't outside right now. In fact, she was currently laying down on a futon. It looked like she was inside someone's house. She looked back at the person who had been looking at her when she woke up, her eyes blinking with confusion. Who was this guy?

"My house," he replied. He looked back down at the ground beside him, which had a bunch of medical supplies sitting on it, such as bandages and some kind of strange medicine.

"Why?" she asked. She tried to remember any incident that would have caused her to end up here, but the only thing that came to mind was her running away, and her sister trying to defend her. Surely he wasn't referring to that.

He looked down at his feet. "I…" He shook his head. "I saw you on the ground this morning as I was walking through the forest. You were bleeding and you looked like you were dying, and I couldn't just leave you there…"

A voice sounded out from another room. "He carried you all the way here after that. I was surprised. To think that you would do something like that…"

He grinned sheepishly. "You were really hurt. There was a whole bunch of blood. What happened?"

It appeared to her that he had no intention of doing anything bad to her, so she decided that she'd explain. "I got chased by some guy hoping to capture me. I got separated from my sister…"

He looked surprised. "Sister? Most demons don't have siblings. And if they do, I don't think they know they're their sibling…" He sighed. "But in any case…" he looked down at her neck, where her collar was placed. "You're a Sonozaki, huh? That's kind of funny… I heard from my friend there weren't any left." He paused for a second. "Number Twenty-Eight, huh? Sonozaki Demon Number Twenty-Eight…"

Shion looked down at her collar. For some reason, her nametag had fallen off, revealing her number. It had probably happened during the chase.

"No," she answered.

He blinked at her. "Huh?"

"It's not Number Twenty-Eight. My name is Shion. My collar used to say Shion, but it appears as if that part of it came off." she explained to him, pointing to the number on her collar. "Don't call me Number Twenty-Eight. I am _not_ Number Twenty-Eight." She was very serious about that. Number Twenty-Eight was the name she had when she was trapped underground. She was a free demon now. She didn't have a number.

He looked a little confused, but it appeared as if he decided to comply. "Oh. I'm sorry, Shion." He then smiled at her for some reason, which was something that kind of startled her. "And my name is Satoshi. Houjou Satoshi. It's nice to meet you, Shion." And then, for some reason, he reached out and patted her head, in the process ruffling her green hair. "I won't call you that. Don't worry."

Shion felt relieved. The boy had complied to her request so quickly, not even bothering to ask why a demon would have a name, as the only ones that did have names were the head demons.

"So, Shion," he spoke, changing the topic. "My little sister went to call our friend, but I can ask her to call up the Sonozaki family for you. I'm sure that they really miss—"

"NO!" she screamed out, instantly cutting off whatever Satoshi was trying to say. "No! Do not call the Sonozaki family! I don't want to go back to that place!"

Satoshi was taken aback by her response. She hadn't even let him finish his sentence before refusing his offer. He looked shocked, at first, but his face softened. "I guess that the Sonozakis don't treat their demons very nicely. We try to do a better job of that. My friend, Furude Rika, makes sure she feeds her demons every five days at most. We clean out cells and change the demon's clothing regularly," he said with a smile. But then, that smile turned into a frown. "But I suppose the Sonozakis aren't like that. I heard Kimiyoshi hardly ever feeds his demons. …Is it the same?"

Shion nodded, horribly painful memories filling her mind. She could remember the spark hope she would get whenever Yasuo came down with a single slab of meat, which was an event that only happened once a month, if she was lucky. "The Sonozaki family was very cruel to us. Even though it was just my sister and I, we'd only be fed at least once a month. They rarely ever gave us new clothing, and it was rare that our cell would be cleaned." She shook her head, trying to forget the painful memories. She was a free demon now. She didn't need to remember all of that.

Satoshi must have seen the pain in her eyes, as he reached out and began to ruffle the top of her head again. Shion, for some reason, began to blush at such an action. Did he have a habit of doing this or something? "Don't worry. You're not with the Sonozakis anymore. You're here. I'll make sure you're okay," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "I won't give you back to them. Stay here."

Shion wanted to ask him about returning her to Keiichi, but she said nothing of that sort. She couldn't bring up the fact that Keiichi had stolen the demons, because she knew he would get in trouble. So, she decided that she would listen to him and stay with him for the time being. It was the only option at the moment. "Thank you," she told him. She was grateful, really. If he really fed demons that much like he said, then she could expect a good meal. Not that Keiichi was any different, though.

There was a moment of silence after that, in which neither of them really knew what to say.

"…Houjou Satoshi?" Shion finally spoke up.

"Just Satoshi is fine," he replied.

"All right then. Satoshi-kun?"

"Yes?"

Shion fidgeted a little bit. "…By any chance, can you tell me if you see a girl that looks exactly like me? She's my sister. We got separated and…" she looked down, picturing her sister in her head. She had been with her sister all of her life, and this was the first time she spent any time away from her. She wiped away any tears that began to form, trying to hide them from the boy in front of her. "…Well, I want to see my sis again. I-I think she got captured… and…" Shion couldn't stand the idea of her sister being captured. What would they do to her then?

"Of course. She looks exactly like you? Exactly?" he asked.

Shion nodded. "In every single way."

"Are you two identical twins?" he asked.

"Yeah." She thought back to the time where Keiichi had first given her that mirror, and when she had first looked into it. She had been shocked to see her sister's face in that mirror, but what had shocked her more was when she realized that the face in the mirror was not her sister's, but her own face. That was the first time she had ever seen what she looked like. Tears started to stream down her face as she thought about her sister some more. Perhaps she was trapped again, and maybe even beaten or _killed._ What would she do, then?

She couldn't stand the idea of her sister being taken from her. If that happened, she would probably try to kill herself. Life would be too different without her. _What if I never see her again? _She realized that this was possible. Maybe she wouldn't ever find her sister, and maybe she wouldn't ever get to see her again. She clenched her fists as she thought about that. How would she be able to survive without her?

Satoshi noticed she had begun to cry, and alarm rose inside of him. "…Don't worry," he told her, once again reaching for the top of her head. "I'm going to find your sister for you. I promise…"

Shion clenched her teeth and nodded. She didn't know if she could trust him on that, but he _seemed_ like the kind of person she could depend on.

Just then, the two of them heard two pairs of feet running up the stairs. A few seconds later, two girls appeared at the top, one with yellow hair and the other with blue hair. They stopped to look at the scene before them for a few seconds. Then, the blue-haired girl ran towards the demon, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Is she really a Sonozaki demon? I thought they were all dead!" cried the blue-haired girl.

Satoshi nodded, pointing to the spiked collar around her neck. "See? Only Sonozaki demons have this kind of collar. She's a Sonozaki demon."

The girl with blue hair looked at her collar closely, her eyes wide. "She really is. Sonozaki Demon Number Twenty-Eight, huh?"

"Shion," Shion replied, shuddering at the mention of that number. She never wanted to hear someone call her by that "name" ever again. "Call me Shion. Don't call me Number Twenty-Eight. The Sonozaki family doesn't own me anymore…"

The blue-haired girl looked puzzled. "Huh? Did you run away?"

Shion nodded. "Yes. And I don't want to go back there ever again…"

Satoshi turned to the blue-haired girl and nodded. "She apparently escaped with her sister, but she ended up being chased by some guy. When I found her, she was lying on the forest floor. I think she passed out."

"Ah?" Rika turned back to the demon, observing her closely. "I'm surprised. To think that Oryou actually spared two demons… that's kind of shocking. I heard that she wanted to end the demons because she thought it would start a war or something similar to that." She narrowed her eyes as she tried to get a better look at her. "But there has to be some reason she was spared, along with her sister. Why didn't Oryou want to kill these two, when she murdered all the others? She even murdered her most trusted demon…"

The girl with yellow hair shook her head. Shion noted that she looked kind of like Satoshi. "Beats me. Maybe there's something special about her that makes her different from the other demons. I'd say that the horns, since none of our demons have horns, but a lot of Sonozaki demons had horns…" She looked at the girl her age. "I think that's what you said anyways, Rika."

The other girl nodded. "You said that you had a sister… where is she?" she asked her.

"I have no idea," answered Shion, looking down at the futon she was still underneath. "She may or may not have been captured. And maybe… maybe they killed her." She felt a few tears beginning to form in her eyes as she thought about the idea, but she quickly wiped those away along with the idea that her sister may be dead. Satoshi had promised her that he was going to find her, and she believed him. "But please tell me if you see a demon that looks exactly like me. She's my identical twin, so it should be obvious that she's my sister when you see her…"

The blue-haired girl's eyes grew wide. "Identical twins?" she repeated. She took a moment to look at the girl, and then scratched the top of her head. Suddenly, her eyes filled with shock and surprise, a look of sudden understanding on her face.

"Huh? Rika? Something happen?" the young yellow-haired girl asked, confusion on her face as she looked at her friend.

She slowly nodded her head. "I just realized something. I thought that she looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't put a finger on it." She looked at the demon once more, and then nodded. "She looks like Sonozaki Akane. You know, Takeru's mother."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "She does, now that you mention it…"

"Yes. And do you remember how Takeru told us that his mother had twins that were taken away from her before she had Takeru? Well, I think that she's one of the twins. I think that the Sonozaki family took her away from her mother the moment she was born and turned her and her sister into demons, and then locked them in the basement and prevented anyone from finding out. Maybe that's why Oryou didn't want to kill her. She probably had a soft spot for her, because she's her granddaughter." She nodded. "That has to be it. I don't think it would make sense any other way! Oryou would never spare anyone otherwise!" She smiled, certain that her theory was correct.

Shion was shocked by how fast Rika caught on. Now that she thought about it, Keiichi too had figured out who she was when the identical twin thing came up. He had come to the same conclusion, too, minus the whole thing about Oryou killing all the demons, as he hadn't really been considering that factor. Thinking about this made her recall their first meeting, and how shocked they had been when a random boy had wandered in. Had she known that that boy would be the same boy that would set her free? No. She had been doubtful. Mion, on the other hand, believed him right away.

So, did that mean she should trust this boy, using the same logic? She doubted Keiichi and first, and he actually had done what she wanted him to do. Satoshi seemed like a nice guy, and someone who was very honest. He was very kind, too. He didn't seem to be the kind of person to lie. _ I think that I'll trust him on this one. I have no other options right now. …I can't go outside, because the demon killer may try to bring me back again. I have to rely on this guy._

"That's right," she replied. "Someone told me that I was the daughter of the Sonozaki family, who had been turned into a demon and locked away. …I've never met my mother, so I don't know if I look like her. Is that really true?"

The girl nodded her head as she looked at the girl. "You look a lot like her. I should have noticed it the moment I walked in. I bet if you were to go out, everyone would know who you were."

"That's why I wasn't ever allowed outside. The Sonozaki head didn't want my mother to know that I was alive." It felt strange to mention her mother, as she had never seen hers before. What was she like? Was she a caring person? Would she love her if she were to see her?

The yellow-haired girl looked towards Satoshi. "I think that you can tell family easily. A lot of people say I look like my brother." She then turned towards the green-haired girl. "My name is Houjou Satoko, by the way! You can tell we're siblings by the eye and hair color, and also the similar name. For some reason, my parents decided to name us really similar things." She shrugged. "But whatever the case is, I'm Satoko! I'm a master at traps, and I can set up a trap in a matter of seconds! In fact, I even managed to outsmart the man who has been kidnapping all the children! He came after me, and bam! He was caught in my rope trap! He couldn't even lay a hand on me!"

As soon as she mentioned the case of the missing children, Shion's eyes widened. She thought back to the time where her master brought down that little boy, and then ordered her to kill him. Then she thought back to the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that… She and her sister were the ones that had killed all those kids when the kidnapper took them. Was it a huge case up here, where people were wondering who the kidnapper could be? She knew the identity of the kidnapper, but she couldn't say anything. She had strict orders not to.

But then, she realized. She was a free demon, now. She didn't have to listen to his orders anymore. So why was she holding back? She was about to open her mouth to tell them the truth, but then she shut it. What if he found out that she had told him? He would surely beat her for it, especially since he was now on her tail. And not only that, but what would they think if they knew she was the one who had killed all those children, along with her sister? She didn't do so because she wanted to, but it would have a huge impact. Maybe they wouldn't want to be with her anymore. Maybe then they'd call the Sonozakis and send her back to them, even though she promised not to.

_And then… maybe Kei-chan will find out._

No. She couldn't tell them. Even if she wanted to, and even if she was a free demon, she couldn't speak a word on the subject. It was wrong not to, but she didn't have a choice. It was then that she realized that she didn't have very many choices in anything. She didn't have any choice but to stay here for now, and she didn't have any choice but to keep her mouth shut about the identity of the kidnapper. _So, I guess I'm not completely free yet, huh?_

She sighed and shook that thought out of her head. "It's nice to meet you, Satoko. My sister and I have similar names, too," she replied, a smile on her face. She then turned back to the blue-haired girl who had been speaking to her before about her identity. "And your name is…?"

"Furude Rika," answered the girl. "I'm the current head of the Furude family. And yes, I know, I'm very young. …My parents died, so I was the only one left to take care of the family. I run the Furude Shrine and I take care of all the Furude demons." She then nudged Satoko in the stomach, a grin on her face as she did that. "But really, Satoko helps me out as well! And Satoshi's really good with helping the demons, too! We all work together on making sure that the Furude demons are at one hundred percent!"

Shion grinned at that thought. The Furude demons must be happy. They probably were aloud to go outside, since the only reason why she wasn't allowed to in the first place was because they didn't want her mother to see her. They got fed every few days, and they were treated nicely. _It would be nice if I were a Furude demon, and not a Sonozaki demon. Maybe things would be different…_

She decided not to think about that. It was impossible, and there was no point.

"I'm guessing the Sonozakis didn't treat you well," Rika commented, seeing slight pain in Shion's eyes.

Shion cringed and nodded. "They didn't feed my sister and I very often. We were left in dirty clothing, and a lot of the time the cell was covered in dirt. The floors are not very comfortable to sleep on, either. But luckily, I had my sis to snuggle with, so it was okay." She smiled at the thought. "Because of my sister, I am still here. I don't think I would have survived if she hadn't been there for me. I think that I would have begged my master to kill me if that were the case."

Her face then twisted into a frown. How had she spent the night without her sister? She never had been able to fall asleep without her at her side before. _Probably because I passed out, like Satoshi-kun says. I don't think I would have been able to sleep if it weren't for her._

And then, another thought rose in her mind. How was her sister doing? Was she able to sleep without her? She shuddered at the idea. What if she hadn't gotten any sleep last night? She could remember the nights she spent without sleep. They were never any fun for her. What if her sister had experienced such a thing last night? She was worried.

_But I shouldn't be worried. Because Satoshi-kun promised me that he would find my sister for me…_

She looked up at the boy, and at his smile. Something about that smile made her happy, and it gave her some confidence. He had promised, after all. _Yes, he's definitely a person that I can trust. He will find my sister for me. And then, I don't have to worry about her anymore…_

**~~~~X~~~~**

"Shion!" cried Keiichi as he ran throughout the very thick forest. "Shion! Where are you? !"

It was early in the morning, and both him and Mion decided to go on a hunt for Shion, just like he had promised. They were searching every part of the forest, hoping that she was nearby. He was sure that he had checked everywhere in the forest, but he couldn't allow Mion to be let down. He had seen how scared she had gotten when her sister wasn't there.

_Yeah, I can't allow Mion to be like this any longer. Not only that, but Shion is my friend… and if she's been caught…_

Keiichi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He didn't want to think about that.

Still, though, Shion was nowhere to be found. No matter where he looked in the forest, and no matter _how_ hard he looked, he couldn't find any trace of the younger green-haired girl. With a sigh, he wandered off further into the trees. He had no idea if he had looked in that spot already, but there was no way to tell. All the forest looked the same to him. It was just tons of trees, the amount seemingly not ending.

"SIS!" screamed Mion as she frantically ran about the area. "SIS! ANSWER ME! IT'S MION!"

He shook his head. They had been searching for about an hour and a half, now. With still no sign of Shion, there was little chance she was still in the forest. If she had gotten lost, it was likely that she had been found by some villager and taken back to the Sonozakis. And if she had been caught… well, then, she was probably with the Sonozakis. _But I can't just go there and ask if they have seen a green-haired girl! They would get suspicious!_

There was almost no chance that he would run into her here. Someone had probably captured her_,_ if not the man who had ran after her yesterday.

"Mion," he told the demon gently. "It's no use. As much as I hate to admit it… Shion's… Shion's…" he clenched his fists. Those words were painful for him to say. "She's probably been captured…" He couldn't stand the idea, but it was the truth. "I-If that man didn't catch her… someone probably saw her collar and took her back to the Sonozakis…"

Mion turned around, her green eyes wide with fear. "T-They've probably locked her back up in that cell! And she's probably being beaten or tortured now!" she yelled out, accepting the idea instantly. She had already believed that this was the case, after all. "I was right! Oh Sis!" she cried, sinking down to the floor as she thought about the idea. "I'm never going to see you again!"

Keiichi walked up to her, a frown on his face as he looked at the state she was in. She looked horribly, horribly upset. He bent down to the ground and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. His presence had helped her yesterday, after all. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders gently, trying to soothe the girl. She instantly whipped around and buried her head into his chest, sobbing.

"It's okay, Mion. …I'm here for you," he whispered, holding her closer. "I'm not going to leave you."

She continued to sob, clutching onto his shirt as if she was hanging onto him for life. "She's going to be trapped again, and they're going to kill her! She's never going to see the outside again… and… I'm never going to see her again!" she screamed out, her voice muffled by the shirt her face was pressed against. "Oh Sis…. oh _sis_…"

He held her tighter, trying to calm her down. He wanted to reassure her that he was going to find her, but he had no idea how he was going to do that. Sure, he could go ahead and tell her that, but she'd be counting on his words. He wasn't sure how he was going to get Shion back if the Sonozakis had her. Now that she had been stolen once, they would be looking out for the person who stole her. Perhaps he would strike again.

The best he could do for now was to hold her tighter.

**~~~~X~~~~**

"Are you sure you can't find Shi-chan _anywhere?_" Rena asked as she stared at the demon in the corner, who was playing with the sheets of her futon, having nothing better to do at the moment.

Keiichi nodded. "I looked everywhere in the forest, but Shion was nowhere. Sure, that guy may have captured her, but if he didn't, then some person probably saw her and noticed her collar, and then they probably sent her back to the Sonozakis." This was the only explanation. "I'm sure the Sonozakis were offering a high reward for the captured of the twins…"

"I don't know about a reward, but Hayashi-sensei and Masaru-san certainly did mention bringing the demons back." She continued to stare at the demon, feeling horrible for the girl. "Poor, poor Mi-chan. She looks heartbroken."

"She is," Keiichi replied as he too looked at the girl. "She couldn't sleep last night. She always sleeps with her sister at night, and since she was gone…" He blushed a little as he remembered how Mion had crawled into his futon last night, and how the two had snuggled together until they fell asleep. He felt his heart thump in his chest as he thought about how he had felt at the time.

_Love… I'm in love with her…_

The thought was strange to him. He, a human, was in love with a demon. This was probably something unheard of in the legends of Onigafuchi.

_But that's because everyone thought that demons were vile creatures._

No one in the village of Onigafuchi thought of demons as anything more than evil creatures that wanted blood. Apparently, they couldn't feel emotions and had black blood, both of which were lies. These were things that were believed by everyone in the whole village, him and Rena aside.

"It's funny. I never thought that demons could feel that way before," Rena commented. "Before, I had only heard about demons wanting to rip people's flesh and tear out their organs. I had never heard of anything that said that demons actually could feel emotions and have feelings that humans did, too." She thought back to how Mion had smiled at her when they met, and how surprised she had been when that had happened. "I never thought that I would see a demon so heartbroken."

"Me too. From what I read before I actually met the twins, demons were all terrible creatures and they would kill you without a second thought," he replied. That's what the book had said when he had gone to do some research, after all. "The legends I heard said the same thing, too."

Rena looked over to the boy. "You mean the one about Makoto and Koichi?"

He nodded. "That one."  
>The Legend of Makoto and Koichi was one he had only heard about, not one he had ever read about. From what he could tell from Koichi's book, though, was that the Demon King, Makoto, was a ruthless killer who sent his demons to murder hundreds of humans. He was evil, vile, and cruel. However, Koichi, who was the head of the Kimiyoshi family, set out one day and killed Makoto. Then, having no leader, Koichi forced the demons to be the pets of humans.<p>

But was that really true? Was Makoto really a killer who had no sympathy for humans? Was he really that cruel? He had thought over this before, but he hadn't come to a conclusion, as there was no way that he would ever know. No one knew the true legend of Makoto and Koichi. Everyone knew it from how Koichi told it. And, being the legend of Makoto _and_ Koichi, such was only half of the story. No one knew how Makoto had felt about the whole thing.

Surely he had a reason for killing people. Even a demon wouldn't kill without a reason. Perhaps he had been hungry, and wanted the humans so that he could eat them. That was possible. Had Koichi not considered that perhaps Makoto was just hungry? Sure, he could have, but he may have only thought of him as evil for that reason. Demons got hungry just like humans. They needed food. Makoto was probably just trying to feed himself.

But it was useless trying to understand it. There was no answer to the tale. No one knew the true story. Thinking about such a thing was just a waste of time.

"Was Makoto really that bad? Was he?" Rena asked, a small frown on her face. "I don't want to go against Koichi and say such a thing, but it's most likely true. I mean, look at Mi-chan," she said, gesturing to the demon. "She has horns, and people would think that she's evil by just giving her once glance. But you didn't. Even if she didn't have horns at that time, she was still a demon. When you got closer to her, you realized who Mi-chan really was." She paused for a moment. "Makoto could have been the same way. Maybe he wasn't evil."

"I was thinking that he wanted meat to feed himself," commented Keiichi. He had already moved on from the subject in his mind, but it would be strange just to change it here. Even if they couldn't figure it out, there was a meaning behind his wondering. "Demons get hungry. They eat humans. Of course a demon would go out and try to feed. It's not like they're doing something evil and cruel by feeding themselves. They're just trying to feed themselves."

"I think that's it. I just think that Koichi wasn't open to that idea. He was convinced that he was a murderous demon who wanted nothing more than to slaughter humans. Makoto probably wasn't like that," she replied. "I think that he may have been a nice demon if you talked to him. Just like how Mi-chan looks scary, but she's not."

Keiichi glanced at his demon friend. Her horns had gotten quite large, and they were very noticeable. However, that didn't mean that she was an evil person.

"It's too bad, though," replied Keiichi. "We'll never know the true story. There's no one that knows if from Makoto's side. We'll just have to assume that he wasn't like that. There's no way we'll know if he really was a good demon." He sighed as he thought about this. Sure, there was no way he would know, but it didn't matter _too_ much, he supposed.

Rena didn't say anything for about thirty seconds. "That's not true," she finally spoke.

Keiichi blinked at her. "Huh?"

"That's not true," she repeated. "There are many who know the story from Makoto's side."

Keiichi was puzzled. "Rena?" There were people who knew about it from Makoto's side? He hadn't read any books about it, and he didn't know any villagers that would know the story from the Demon King's side.

"The demons do," replied Rena. "The demons that have been there since the end of Makoto's rule. And two particular demons come to mind when I think about that."

Keiichi had never considered such an idea. Of course the demons would know how Makoto felt! _But Mion doesn't know the tale, and I don't know which demons WOULD know the tale. That aside, I can't just march in there and ask a demon for the tale…! _But who were these two demons that came to her mind?

"Kaede and Kai," she replied. "Those two were Makoto's guards. I heard they were both very loyal to him. Kenji is dead, but that doesn't matter. There's still the two of them." She nodded her head, certain of her idea. "Those two would definitely know the truth, and the whole legend. I'm not sure where Kai is, but we can certainly ask Kaede about it. She's really nice. I've talked to her before."

Rena was right. He could ask Kaede about the tale. It wouldn't have a big effect, but it was always good to know the truth. After all, Makoto's true personality was something he had been wondering about for a while. Besides, it wouldn't hurt if they took a little time off and asked Kaede. It wasn't like Kaede or Rika would tell anyone that they went down to ask her.

"Let's do it," he decided. "Let's ask her."

Rena smiled at him. "Let's."

The two of them stood up, and Keiichi grabbed his bag. He probably didn't need it, but it became a habit for him to carry it with him everywhere he went. Rena grabbed her own bag and nodded to Keiichi. "You know how to get to the Furude place, right?" Keiichi asked her. "I've been to there once before, but I'm not sure how you would get there."

Rena nodded. "I've been there a few times before. I know how to get there."

That made things easier. "All right." He paused suddenly, tuning to glance at the demon. She hadn't moved one bit since they had come back from their search. "What about Mion?"

The orange-haired girl glanced at the girl in the corner, sighing. "Well, we can't bring her with us. I think we'll just have to lock her in here for now. I don't think that anyone will be able to get in with the door locked, and I doubt that someone would attack a house in the middle of the day." She shook her head. "Poor Mi-chan…"

Keiichi felt bad for her. He wanted her to tag along, but there was no way that they could hide her collar. Her horns were large, but they were small enough to hide underneath a hat. If someone were to see her collar, she would be caught, along with him, and they would be punished. He wished he had the key to that collar, but he didn't, so there wasn't a single way they could get that stiff, metal collar off.

He walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around as soon as she felt his touch, gazing at him with green eyes that were filled with pain.

"Mion," he told her gently. "Listen, Mion. I'm going to go. The house is going to be locked, so no one can get you. Don't worry. I will be back."

She nodded, but her eyes were still full of pain. It hurt Keiichi to have to leave her when she was in such a state.

"…You'll really be okay, right?" Mion asked.

Keiichi shot her a reassuring grin. "I'll be fine."

Mion didn't look convinced. She was thinking back to the attack, and how she had lost Shion. She didn't want to lose Keiichi, too. She loved him, after all.

Still annoyed with himself, Keiichi walked over to his cabinet. He opened the bottom drawer and began to fish around in it, his hand then grasping onto a small object. He pulled it out, revealing a rather shiny and expensive looking bracelet. He had found it on the ground one day, when he was in Tokyo, and he had decided to keep it. He never had anything to do with it, though.

He didn't know why, but he handed the bracelet over to Mion. He felt as if he needed to give her something to cheer her up, to reassure her. "Here," he told her as he placed it in her hands. "It goes around your wrist. It's a bracelet I found one day. I think that it would look really pretty on you," he told her.

She looked at, staring at it with wide, emerald eyes. "It's pretty," she commented. Slowly, she took it and fumbled around with it, trying to get it on her wrist. When she did, she looked at it some more, holding up her wrist to look at it. "Thank you."

She seemed happy with her gift, which was something that cheered Keiichi up. It made him feel better about himself, especially after the girl had lost her sister and was now being left alone. He wasn't sure how much good it would do for her, but it would keep her happy for now.

"All right. I'll see you soon, Mion," he told her. Then, he turned to the orange-haired girl. "Let's go."

And so, the two friends left.

**~~~~X~~~~**

"Eh, you want to talk to Kaede?" asked Rika.

Rena nodded. "We need to ask her a few questions," she explained. "I know it seems a little funny, but please."

Rika, who had been playing around with Satoko outside her house, shrugged. She wasn't sure why they would need to talk to her head demon, but it didn't really matter. "Well, I guess you two can talk to her. She'll be glad to answer any questions you have. I'm not sure what you want to talk to her about, but…"

Satoko shrugged. "Might as well let them. I trust my friends, after all."

"Yeah, sure," decided Rika. "The storage house is over there. Here, I'll go with you."

Keiichi grinned. He was pretty sure that Rika would let him in when he asked, but it was good to hear that he was correct when he made that assumption.

She turned to Satoko. "Satoko, you go off and check on Satoshi. See how he's doing with his job."

Satoko nodded. "Right," she replied before running off.

Rika returned her gaze to the two teenagers, nodding at them as she reached for her key, which she had been keeping in her pocket. "I'll let you guys in, and I'll be there while you guys ask Kaede the questions."

Well, it didn't seem too bad. Besides, there wasn't too much to be suspicious about if they were to ask them about the Legend of Makoto and Koichi. It was just a legend that they were curious about, after all. The three of them walked towards the storage area as Keiichi wondered what Rika would think when they asked their question to Kaede. She wouldn't be too surprised, would she? They were more curious than anything, after all. It wasn't like they were trying to pull some scheme off with information about the legend. They just wanted to know the truth.

Rika opened the door to the storage, which looked quite a bit like a tool shrine, and gestured for them to come in.

When Keiichi stepped inside, he noted that it was quite different from the Kimiyoshi area and the Sonozaki area. The Sonozakis resembled a basement quite a bit, and as did the Kimiyoshi area, despite not being underground. The inside of this was made like the inside of a shrine, representing how the members of the Furude family were the ones that took care of the Furude shrine.

All the demons turned to look at him. Not too many of them seemed to have very malicious gazes. In fact, most of them just returned to whatever they were doing when the boy walked inside. A few of them growled and shouted a few things, but that was about it. It was a lot different from the Kimiyoshi Manor, in which the demons seemed to be quite rude, and a few rather curious as to whom he was.

"Kaede is in the very back," Rika said as she gazed at a screaming demon out of the corner of her eye. "Allow me to take some time to tend to this demon here…"

Rena smiled and nodded at the girl. "Okay. Thank you, Rika-chan."

"Welcome!" she cried as she ran over to the demon in the cell.

With Rika gone, Rena and Keiichi continued down the rows of demons. The cells were very similar to the ones in the Sonozaki and Kimiyoshi manor, aside from the fact that the inside looked a little more like a shrine, as he had noted before. The demons looked at them briefly as they went by their cells, though they didn't bother to ask why they were there. The fact that they had seen them enter with their master indicated they weren't here to steal anything, and there was no reason to be hostile towards them.

Eventually, the two of them reached the back, where Kaede was currently residing. She was sitting against the wall of her cell, seemingly deep in thought. Her eyes were shut, though she peaked one open when she spotted the two of them.

"Ah, Maebara Keiichi and Ryuuguu Rena," the demon spoke as she stood up and walked over to them. "Has my master invited you in to speak with me?"

Before Keiichi could say anything, Rena nodded. "You were one of Makoto's guards, weren't you?"

"Yes," replied Kaede. "I was there from the start of Makoto's reign to the end."

Keiichi looked over to Rena, not really sure how he was going to phrase anything to Makoto. "Well… um…" Keiichi began to speak, feeling a little nervous. Kaede's story about Makoto, if she was going to share one at all, was going to be quite biased in the favor of Makoto, as she worked for him and understood him. However, since they already had the biased version from Koichi, the two would work together. "…I'd like to hear about the Legend of Makoto and Koichi. You know, how Koichi killed him, and all other things in that legend."

Kaede looked a little surprised and somewhat distraught, but only for about a split second. "Let me guess, Koichi's side of the tale didn't seem correct to you?"

Now it was Keiichi's turn to be surprised. How did Kaede guess? "…Yes. It seemed a little strange."

"It is. Koichi was a very confused man," Kaede replied. "He didn't understand Makoto."

"I'm going to guess. Makoto wasn't a man-eating, ruthless, evil killer like they described him to be?" Rena commented, thinking back to all the words they had used to describe the Demon King in that legend. Cruel, disgusting, ruthless, evil, bloodthirsty, unjust… there were just too many words they used that were negative. It seemed that he placed a negative adjective on every one of Makoto's actions.

Kaede sighed and nodded her head. "…There was a lot to Makoto that Koichi never really got. I think that he thought that all demons were killers, and that they all saw humans negatively." She shrugged. "That is true. No demons like humans, and no humans liked demons. They didn't get along, simply because they didn't understand each other." She sighed. "But Makoto knew better."

Keiichi blinked. "Did he really?"

Kaede raised an eyebrow, somewhat disturbed by what he had said for some reason. But she continued on anyways. "Oh yes. Makoto knew about humans _and_ demons all too well, and was able to establish an understanding of both of them, despite being a demon," Kaede explained.

"…I guess that means that he wasn't so bad as the people described him, then," said Keiichi as he thought about her words. She was saying that he could understand humans and demons, which was a unique ability. Keiichi couldn't see how he would want to use that for evil. If anything, that meant he understood both points of view and understood that there was a misunderstanding between demons and humans.

Once again, the orange-haired demon looked a little irritated and somewhat disturbed. "Of course not. Makoto was just a poor little _girl_ who wanted what was best for both species. She didn't want all the hate between humans and demons. …I believed in what she thought, and I followed her wishes until the end of her life."

Wait a second. Did she just refer to the Demon King Makoto as a girl? But wasn't Makoto a Demon _King_? Takeru said that Makoto was male, too. He looked incredibly confused, as did Rena, and it didn't take long for the demon to notice this.

"…I think that the title Demon King implied that Makoto was male. No. She wasn't. …Koichi's detailed book on the myth was lost over time, but in that book, he clearly describes Makoto as being female. People were taken in by the demon king title, and her image was twisted." Kaede sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "She was called the Demon King, but that was because the previous Demon King was male, and there was this legend about the king…" she shook her head and sighed. "But whatever the case is, Makoto was indeed female and she is indeed different than the legends describe."

Keiichi was puzzled by this and had to wonder how the tale managed not only managed to twist who Makoto was, but her gender as well.

But he shook that off. If such a thing happened, then Makoto must be really different than described.

"Tell me," Keiichi said. "Please tell me everything you know."

Kaede nodded. "All right. I'll tell you all I know about Makoto, and how she came to her brutal end…"

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2: ULTRA LONG EDITION**

**Oh look, it's 4:54. It's not 2 am like usual! But of course, it's a Friday like usual. I actually had the whole scene with Satoshi and Shion at the top done on Tuesday, but I stopped writing until today due to work. I had a Spanish test, which I think I failed. I never do well in Spanish. I just can't do well in Spanish. Math is getting very complicated and hard for me to understand, and school work has just been awfully tough. I did the second half of this chapter over a while. I did most of the searching and the conversing in Study Hall, I wrote up to the part where Rena and Keiichi decide to leave in Lunch, and I wrote the rest up until the point where they meet Kaede in History class. …Yeah, I'm stupid, but History… it was another day where we went off-topic and talked about random things. This happens often. I wrote the rest of that just now, of course. **

**And now, I have a few things I must talk about, so let's get moving with this. I'm sorry, this Crimso's Corner is going to be extra long, but bear with me. **

**First off, BFB. So, Michael S. Repton pointed out about fifty mistakes with the last chapter, and I realize this, but as with mistakes I've made in other chapters of GED, I just have to go on. I can't go back and fix the details right now. It doesn't affect the overall outcome of the scene. Keiichi's parents die and Shion gets separated, and then Keiichi realizes he's in love with Mion. I'm really grateful that he pointed them out. Really, but I have to go on for now. This **_**will**_** be fixed when I have time.**

**Let's talk about THIS chapter. Well, this is mostly a transition chapter. …A long one, at that. There's a few things I'd like to bring up. First, SatoShion. …I've never written it before, and I don't really like the pairing all that much. I mean, I support it, but I don't read fanfiction about them or write about them or anything like that. I don't know how far I'm going to go with them. It's likely that it won't be anything romantic, but we'll see. I don't want to force a pairing that I don't know how to write well onto myself. Let me know what you think about this. Do you want me to include some romantic relation between them, even if I may screw it up and write it terribly? It's not something I'm confortable with. Okay, so now that that's done, let's move on to the second topic. It's about the bracelet Keiichi gave Mion. It may seem random, but it's not. It comes up later. I don't throw in random details just for them to never show up again, after all. Well, usually.**

**Third, Makoto. …I don't know what happened with her, really. I think I originally planned her to be male, but after I posted the chapter describing her as the Demon King, and as male, I decided I wanted her to be female. It worked into the storyline, though. And just like before with The Tale of Sonozaki Ayame, there's going to be a few chapters about this tale and what happened, described like it's currently happening. …I actually have no idea how long this is going to last, but I will tell you that the whole tale is not just so that you know demons are different. There are things that **_**will**_** pop up later from the tale, so it's necessary. I hope this won't be 30,000 something words like TTOSA. That was never intentional. It just HAPPENED. Just like how this chapter is now 9,000 words.**

**And now that that's done, let's talk about random things. Today is 11/11/11. This is not going to happen for another one hundred years. Did you make your wish at 11/11/11 11:11:11 AM? I did. I was taking a Spanish test while I did it. We paused the test and waited for 11:11:11… and it was worth it. There's going to be another 11:11:11 tonight, so I'm looking forward to wishing again! I have things in mind…**

**And now, we get to the part where I ask you to review. Yes, you should review! If you review, you can get... hm... something very special. ...I have an idea! You can go to the Crimso Park, which contains all kinds of animals. I like animals. You should, too, so that's why you should review. I've been looking around for typos a lot this chapter, but if you see any, you should let me know. It happens that some slip my gaze. If you do point out a typo, I'll give you action figure of Satoshi. Action figures are brand new reviewing prizes!**

**Let me end this ultra long note here. Or, as my Spanish teacher would say, a hyper long note. **

**~Crimso**

**P.S: I was having a hard time trying to write "he" whenever they mentioned Makoto. I hope I didn't slip.**

**P.S.S: Anyone notice how lame my chapter titles are? Yes, they are. This one was going to be called Truth, but I realized that that was the title of chapter nineteen of GED, which took place before TTOSA, much like this one takes place before Makoto and Koichi's legend. It would be too alike. Sure, Tour was a name I used in GED, but it's different in this case...! I'm sure I titled another chapter the same title as GED, too. Why can't I remember which one...?**


	24. Chapter 23: Makoto I

**Crimso's Notes:**

**This is a long Crimso's Note. You may skip past the writing, but please go down to the notes. They are VERY important.**

**This chapter is going to be written over this week, so it will take a while for this upload. Of course, by the time you are reading this, it's been uploaded.**

**I started this at exactly 11:11 PM on 11/11/11. So yes, I started this chapter the same day I published the other. I just wanted to start a chapter at 11:11 PM on 11/11/11. I'm going to be writing this throughout the week, as I said before, so don't be surprised if this is published on Friday or something similar to that. I feel really stressed out at the moment, and it's going to be tough to get this fanfiction finished before the end of January. I'm having a bit of trouble. I want to get to work on WAN before the end of this school year, but it'll be like GED, where I have to cram things in so I can finish before camp.**

**Note One: Once again, I'm not sure how long this story is going to last for. **

**Note Two: I believe that you should know that this is narrated like the other parts of the story, despite this happening a long time ago.**

**Note Three: Bare in mind that THIS IS VERY FAST PACED. You all want to get back to the main story as soon as possible, so I'm trying to finish this as quick as I can. I could probably expand this story to being around ten chapters, but my limit is four.**

**Note Four: I don't want to right in archaic style, as it would be complicated and you would probably rather read it like this, so everything is translated to how they would talk modernly, for the most part.**

**Note Five: Do note that demons do act a little funny for their time period. Their behavior is different from humans back then, since they are… well… demons.**

**Note Six: I am sorry for the delay. It won't happen again.**

**Note Seven: Thanksgiving Break is coming up, so I have five days off. I can write a lot more then.**

**Note Eight: This is the longest edition of Crimso's Notes ever. **_**I'm sorry.**_

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Makoto I**

The sun was shining brightly over the forest of Onigafuchi, allowing light to pass through the many trees in the area. There was a small patch in which no trees grew, and in that, there was a single rock, one that was of a rather large size. On that rock stood a young demon, who was observing the sunlight with amazed eyes.

"Wow, I've never seen it so bright before!" she cried out as she stared into the bright sky. "Hey, come up and take a look at the sky! It's so blue!"

Behind the rock stood a young boy, who was blinking at his friend. "Makoto!" he yelled to her. "Don't you think that that rock is a little…" he looked at it, his lavender eyes wide. "…High?"

"Oh come on!" she replied, turning to look at the other demon, managing to draw her eyes away from the bright sky for a moment. "It's nothing! It's just a little bit of height!" She turned to boy, gesturing with her hand for him to come up and join her on the rock. "See, you can see the sky really well from here!"

"Makoto…" he repeated, though this time his voice was lower.

The young demon smiled at her friend as she jumped off the rock, startling the poor boy, who was sure she had just tripped and fell. She ran up to him, grabbing his hand tightly as she ran up the rock again, this time forcing the boy on the top of the rock. He stumbled a little bit as she pulled him up, but she held him steady and made sure that he didn't fall. When he got to the top, she placed her arms around his shoulder to reassure him.

"You see?" she said, pointing up to the sky with her free hand. "It's so bright today!"

The boy, after gaining his balance, tilting his head up and looked at the bright sky above him. It really was brighter than usual, and a lot clearer. Usually, it was hard to see through the treetops, and when you could see it, there were usually clouds covering it. However, in this space, barren of trees, the bright sky was clearly visible. His eyes went wide as he looked at it more, realizing how beautiful it truly was.

The girl grinned. "You see? It's not that bad! We're not falling!" she cried out as she threw her hands up in the air, accidently knocking the boy off balance when she did so.

"Ma-Ma-Makoto!" he yelled out as he stumbled backwards, falling off the rock and hitting his back. He winced as he felt his back collide with the hard ground, and he could feel his eyes swirling in his head.

"Kai!" yelled Makoto as she realized her friend had fallen. She instantly jumped from the rock, thankfully landing beside her friend and not on top of him. "Are you all right?" she asked him, bending over to inspect the body of the blue-haired young demon.

He sat himself up and nodded, though his eyes were still swirling from that fall. He knew it hadn't been a good idea to go up there, even if the sight was pretty. "Y…Y…Yes?" he answered.

Makoto grinned when she saw him nod, and she instantly grabbed his wrist and pulled him right up. "All right then! Let's go move on! I bet you we can see the sun at a better spot from over there!" she yelled out as she pointed into the forest with a finger on her free hand. The boy opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, Makoto had already dashed off, laughing as she ran through the trees.

"M-M-Makoto!" Kai cried out in protest. "You're going too fast!"

"Aw, come on Kai! The only words you've been saying are protests! Remember how beautiful the sky was when you finally decided to take a look? Come on!" she tugged on his wrist again and began to run even faster, much to the boy's dismay.

"But your mother is going to worry!" yelled Kai.

Makoto grinned. "Ah, come on! We're not going to far away. Mother has no reason to worry!"

The two of them stopped running when they reached an area that had a small amount of trees, though it wasn't enough to block the sky. She pointed up to it with a single finger, showing the boy next to her how bright the sky could be. "See, now you don't have to worry about falling off anything! There's just the sky there, right above our heads!"

The boy looked up, taking in the details of the sky, this time not worrying about stumbling and falling on his back. It really was beautiful to look at. He never really got a good look at the sky, as the trees mostly blocked it from being seen.

They were told a while ago that there was an area where there were no trees, and the sky was visible every moment and everywhere anyone went. However, there was single problem. They couldn't go to that place. And the reason behind that was very, very simple…

"Humans," Makoto spoke. "I wonder if they think anything of the sky? They always get to look at it. I wonder if they see the same thing we do when we look up at the sky."

Kai looked unsure. "Well, they ARE humans, so I doubt it." His face turned into a frown. "…Humans are mean. They think they're all that… but really, they aren't. And besides, all they are good for is to eat. They shouldn't be so hostile."

It was a rare moment where Kai actually said something that could be considered rude. A lot of the time, he would worry about various things and complain. Every demon thought negatively of humans, but Kai never really tended to talk about them. The subject of humans would always bring out a side of Kai that wasn't normally there.

"They don't get it. I don't think they see anything in the sky," she sighed. "I think that they just look up in the sky and go, 'oh, look. The sky. Boring.' That's how they are after all."

"I don't think we should dwell on humans and what they think. They're just humans, after all. They're mean, cruel, and rude," Kai replied, gazing at a single cloud that began to drift across the sky. To the boy, it looked so lonely up there, all by itself. "Besides, I like us demons more. We're nice and fun, unlike those mean, nasty things… At least we can eat them."

"Am I fun, Kai?" Makoto asked her friend, her gaze still fixed on the sky.

He nodded once. "Of course! You're my best friend. I don't think a human could _ever_ be like you. Humans are just so. J-Just so…" He shook his head. "Makoto, I-I don't want to talk about humans…"

Makoto looked away from the sky to stare at her friend's face, which was looking a little serious. It seemed strange to her, so to cheer him up, she suddenly elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to jump. "Ahaha! Okay then, we'll talk about something fun. Like... like…" Makoto frowned. What was there to talk about? "Um…"

Kai laughed at his friend's lack of things to say. "A-Ahaha… well…" He paused, then looking up at the sky once more time. "I think I have to be heading back or Mom's going to worry," he looked behind him, into the forest. "Yeah, she said I couldn't be out for too long, so…"

Makoto's face turned into a frown, and the young girl looked disappointed. "Awww... you sure you have to go?"

He nodded, a slightly disappointed look on his face. "Mom's going to be mad…" he whispered, picturing his mother's angry face, which would soon become reality if he didn't go. He really didn't want to have to leave his friend, but there wasn't much he could do.

She sighed. She was sad that her friend had to go, since she had had so much fun playing with him. "All right… I guess that I have to go back, too. See ya, Kai."

"Yeah, bye, Makoto…"

She frowned as she watched her friend go off into the distance. Kai had spent many days by her side, and the two of them would often go out to play. While Kai was a little reluctant to do anything he considered to be dangerous, Makoto would always pull him into the situation no matter what his feelings may be. She believed firmly that he was missing out on life by cowering away in the corner. Despite this behavior, Makoto and Kai had always been close friends.

"Well, I guess that it's time for me to go home," sighed Makoto as she stretched her arms out. She turned around and began to walk further into the forest. While most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the trees, Makoto knew the place like the back of her hand. She could tell anyone every single corner of the forest and she could get to any exact spot in the forest. Of course, this was to be expected of a young demon who was born and raised in the forest. However, the rock she had just been to was an exception. She had wandered off from her usual spot, and had then found it.

She was told of the human land a while ago, one that wasn't covered by trees. However, her mother had forbidden her from going there for obvious reasons. Humans didn't like demons, and demons didn't like humans. For a young demon like Makoto, going near a human was dangerous. It was hard to kill a demon, but it wouldn't be too hard with Makoto, considering that she was very young. A human could outsmart her and lead her into a trap, for one.

She soon reached a cave, one that was very familiar for the girl. This was the cave that she slept in, and the cave where her mother was waiting for her. She walked into the cave, allowing the dark tint of the shadows to envelop her.

"Mom?" she called out into the darkness. "Mom?"

Steps followed, and soon enough, a figure appeared. She was a much older demon whose dark purple hair mirrored the demon in front of her, along with those yellow eyes that were now blinking at the girl.

"Ah, Makoto! Did you have fun?" she asked her.

Makoto nodded, smiling up at her mother. "Yeah, mom! I just wish that Kai was able to stay longer. We were looking up at the sky from the rock, and it was so beautiful!" she explained, throwing her arms up to emphasize her point. "It was THIS beautiful, actually!" she then added on, trying to throw her arms as far apart as she possibly could. "I haven't seen the sky very clearly before that! It's usually cloudy, or the trees block, but there's this one spot I just found that has a rock and no trees…!"

Her mother smiled at her. "That sounds beautiful. The sky is very hard to see from the forest sometimes." She sighed at the thought.

"Mom, is it true that the humans always get to see the sky? They don't need to go searching for a spot to see the sky, do they?" asked Makoto, a pang of jealousy in her yellow eyes. She already knew the answer to that, but the subject just interested her. "Do they think anything of it?"

There was pain that filled her mother's eyes as soon as the subject of humans came up, as well as a bundle of hatred. No demon she knew liked the idea of humans, nor did their care for their very presences. As soon as the two species would get close, a fight would break out, often causing some casualties. Demons didn't like it when humans got too close, as they were often afraid that they would do something brutal, and they would then attack them in self-defense

"Yes, but you shouldn't dwell too much on the subject. You know that humans are nasty creatures that we don't want to be around." She narrowed her eyes at the thought of the humans, and then shook her head to get the thought out of her mind. Makoto blinked at her, knowing that the last thing she wanted to think about was humans. Her mother had been in several scuffles with humans before, after all.

Makoto decided that she would move on from the subject. Her mother didn't like it, and she would rather not talk about it, either. She nodded once before wandered off to the back of the cave, where she sat down on a bundle of leaves she had collected. She lay down on them, rather tired from having spent the day running around with Kai. She smiled as she recalled the memories that they had spent together. There had been one time where Makoto found her reflection in the stream of the water, and was intrigued by it. She had urged Kai to come and look at his, but he was reluctant to obey.

She finally got him to do so, and he too was intrigued by what he looked like. Well, he was until he fell face first into the water. Then he was just upset, and very, very wet.

Kai wasn't the type to be very careful when he actually got himself into situations. He was too careful about getting into them, but when he got into them was a different story. He would be scared about going to look into the water, and when he did, he would actually fall into the water when he forgot about that. The reflection had caused him to forget about his position and his balance, and he toppled right into the river.

She giggled a little bit at the thought. Kai could be so funny at times.

"Well, Makoto," her mother's voice called out as she walked over to her daughter, sitting beside her on the pile of leaves. "Are you going to take a nap?"

She nodded her head as she buried herself further into the leaves. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep ever, but she had little options, and sleeping on leaves was more comfortable than sleeping on the cold, hard floor of the cave. Besides, after playing, the girl was dead tired.

"All right then. Would you like to hear a story, Makoto?" she asked her daughter, affection in her yellow eyes as she looked down at her.

"Sure," yawned Makoto as she shifted her position on the pile. "That would be nice."

Her mother smiled. "Well then, let me tell you a little bit about the previous demon king, Hachirou. As you know, we currently don't have a demon king, but there used to be one named Hachirou who looked over the land of the demons. He ruled over us all and defended us from those vile humans," she began to tell.

Makoto listened to her mother intently. She had heard a little about Hachirou before, but her mother had never told her the whole story.

"Hachirou owned a small, golden orb that we call The Orb of the Demon Kings. It was something he always had with him, and it was considered proof that he was the king of the Onigafuchi demons," she told her daughter. "The golden orb was one that emitted a great power, and everyone was intrigued by the sight of it. But the truth is that The Orb of the Demon Kings had a dark secret to it, along with a great power."

Makoto blinked at her mother. "And what would that power be, Mom? What did The Orb of the Demon Kings do?" she asked.

"Well, The Orb of the Demon King had the power to control a demon's mind. What it does is that it binds itself to a demon's soul, and then the holder of the orb can control the demon who is bound to it. However, it can only control one demon at a time. It technically becomes a part of that demon's mind and soul." She sighed at the thought. "The holder of the orb can do anything with the demon's mind, then. They could tell it to do anything psychically possible and they will do it."

"Can the orb unbind itself?" asked a curious Makoto.

Her mother shook her head. "The only way that the orb can detach itself from a demon's soul is by the holder to order it to attach itself to another's soul. The demon cannot break free of the hold the orb has, nor can the orb release itself from the demon. Though this power was not why it was considered to be the object needed to become the Demon King. It was only considered this because the object was of a bright gold color, and it seems as if there's some kind of spirit swirling around inside of it, though all it is is the power of the orb. Every demon is intrigued by its color and the power that they can fell coming from it."

Makoto was indeed interested in this Orb of the Demon Kings. It sounded like something pretty, although the thought of it controlling her was downright horrifying.

"Anyways, back to Hachirou. Hachirou owned this orb, and he was the one who watched over the land. He would defend us all from the humans when they came, and we would fight for him. However, one day, Hachirou dropped the orb somewhere, and the demons refused to listen to him, as he no longer had The Orb of the Demon Kings in his possession, as it's what is said to make you king. Desperate, Hachirou went out to search for the orb." She looked down at her daughter, her eyes serious. "But he never found it. Try as he might, couldn't find the golden glimmer of the orb anywhere. People believe that a human took it without knowing what it was."

Makoto blinked at her story. It was a very interesting one indeed. So, the demons refused to listen to him, simply because he did not have the orb that was supposed to be the reason why he was king? And besides, wouldn't it be hard to drop an object like _that_ somewhere?

"Wow, poor Hachirou," commented Makoto. "He just lost his right as king because he lost the orb…"

"It's very strange indeed, and the thought that a human may have it is just scary. Hachirou never controlled anyone with the orb, as it was only a mark because of how beautiful it was, but a human may actually try to control a demon," her mother shuddered a little. "He would become the strongest human ever with the power to control a demon, especially if you picked the right one. And since it's the mark of a king… who knows if the demons will obey him."

Would a demon really obey a human if they were to hold The Orb of the Demon Kings in their hand? The thought really did scare her. A human could become very powerful with an object like that in their hands, whether or not they actually controlled a demon with it.

"That's scary, Mom. I hope it doesn't happen," commented Makoto as she snuggled into the leaves.

"I hope it doesn't, too," her mother responded. "Now, get some rest, Makoto…"

She nodded into her pile of leaves and closed her eyes, thinking about the tale she had just heard. Was it really that easy for a demon king to lose their right as head? And what if a human really did have their hands on The Orb of the Demon Kings? She could feel herself cringe at the very thought of it. If a human tried to control anyone with the orb, then she would surely try to get it back from the human.

Well, if she even had the strength to do that, anyways.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Daylight slightly blocked by the trees above greeted Makoto as she woke up. It had been a few days since she learned of The Orb of the Demon King, and by now, the story was in the back of her mind. She was currently spending her days with Kai, just as usual, playing around in the forest and not worrying about anything. Today was no different. Makoto was currently climbing on a tree while she urged Kai to come up along with her, who was once again not willing to do so.

"Come on, Kai! It's not that high up!" encouraged Makoto as she lifted herself up on a higher branch. "You won't fall or anything like that!"

Kai shook his head as he stared up at it, his eyes wide. "The last time that happened, I fell off…" he spoke, recalling old memories. He blinked up at his friend, fear and shock in his eyes as he wondered how in the world she could manage to go up there without being scared or worrying about falling off.

She laughed as she began to fiddle with the leaves on the tree, picking a few of them. "Ah, come on! I bet you could see the sky from there!" she exclaimed as she bunched her leaves in one of her hands and pointed at the sky. "See, the sun is visible from up here!"

She smiled as she looked at the sky. It was so bright, and so blue. It was a wonderful sight. Surely Kai would enjoy it if he bothered to come out and take a look.

"M-Makoto! You're going to fall down, too!" he cried out as he looked at her feet.

"Of course I'm not! I have practice climbing trees. I bet you I could get down from here in a few seconds _without_ hurting myself!" Makoto replied, clenching onto her leaves even tighter. Before Kai could say anything in response, the girl had already jumped down from the branch and onto the ground, startling the poor boy. However, he felt somewhat relieved when he looked at her and discovered that she hadn't been injured at all.

"You see, Kai? It's not dangerous at all! There isn't even a scratch on me!" she boasted, lifting up one of her feet so that the boy could take a look at it. There were many scratches on it from previous encounters with sharp rocks, but there were no injuries from the landing.

Kai let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. I was so scared, Makoto. You know, if you died, I would have—"

"It's your turn!" cried Makoto as she pushed the boy towards the tree, not allowing him to finish his sentence.

"W-Wait! I don't want to! I still don't want to, even if I can't get hurt!" he cried out as Makoto shoved him against the tree. He looked up at it, fear in his eyes as he thought about climbing up such a tall thing. What if he were to fall and hurt himself? Makoto had jumped off, but that didn't mean falling off of it couldn't hurt him.

Makoto giggled. "Ah, come on! It's not that hard! Just follow what I do!"

Kai shook his head. He would rather _die_ than go up in that tree!

"You know, you're never going to be a brave demon warrior if you don't learn how to climb up trees like that! How are you going to kill off humans when they attack if you're so scared to do anything?" asked Makoto, her words not meaning to be an insult towards the poor boy. She was actually genuinely concerned for him.

A look of realization filled the boy's eyes when he heard Makoto's words. She was right, after all. If a human were to come after anyone, they would need to have the power and bravery to fight them off. It was either that, or be killed. He gulped as he advanced towards the tree, reaching for a rather low branch with a hand. This tree was a rather large one, and there were very many branches that were sticking out. It would be an easy climb.

He pulled himself up on the first branch, careful not to fall off. This time, he was actually aware of what he was doing, so it was unlikely he would fall like the time with the river and the rock.

He was a little shaky as he clung to the tree, gazing down at the world below him as he stood on the branch. He blinked down at his friend, who was now clapping for him.

"Good! Now lets—"

Suddenly, the two of them heard footsteps coming their way, and they sensed a rather unpleasant presence, causing them to freeze. Kai stood in the tree, unable to move a single muscle. Slowly, Makoto turned around, focusing on the area the footsteps and the presence was coming from.

They could just make out the figure of a staggering demon coming forward. He had orange hair, but his eyes could not be seen, for his face was pointed at the ground. He had two, medium-sized gray horns on the top of his head, and he was slowly advancing towards the two of them.

Usually, demons were friendly towards one another, but this demon had a very strange presence. And not only that, but his presence wasn't the only one that was felt. There was another presence, though this one was much more uncomfortable. It was the clear, undeniable presence of a human.

"Kai," breathed Makoto. "…Let's get out of here."

Kai blinked. "E-Eh…"

"I… I don't feel safe," she responded, glancing from the demon to her friend in the tree. "There's a human here."

But before either of them could make a move, the demon picked his head up. Not that they would be able to move, anyways. Their feet seemed to be plastered to the ground. His eyes were one that seemed to be filled with madness, though that wasn't the strange thing. His eyes, for some reason, were an unnatural shade of pure gold. He licked his lips as he looked at the two demons; his hands raised high in the air.

A figure stepped up behind him, one that was cloaked in a great, brown kimono. All that was visible was the man's somewhat curly brown hair, which seemed to be at a rather long length.

"Demon," he spoke, his voice slightly raspy. "Kill them."

The man held up something, something that sparked a memory in Makoto's mind. He was holding an orb; one that was of a golden color, and one that's color was identical to the color in the demon's eyes. His face remained stern as he grasped it, and when he spoke those words, the energy within the orb swirled, and the whole orb lit up for a few seconds.

The demon's eyes glowed for about a second when the order was spoken, and he began to focus on the two young demons with the new intent to kill in his eyes. Before, there had just been madness.

Makoto felt a bead of sweat snake down her forehead. _That's The Orb of the Demon Kings…! That man has the orb! _She had to admit that the orb's color and the power it gave off really drew her in, but she tried to ignore it as best as she could.

"KAI!" she screamed to the boy. "KAI, RUN! THAT ORB CAN CONTROL A DEMON'S MIND!"

Kai blinked in surprised. "H-Huh?"

"D-Don't question it, Kai! Just RUN!" she screamed out to the boy.

But before anything could happen, the demon ran for Makoto, his claws outstretched. He was screaming out something that sounded like complete and utter gibberish, Makoto felt fear pulse within her body as she stared at the demon coming towards her. She wanted to run far, far away from the man, but she couldn't find the strength to move her feet. She knew she had to, but she just _couldn't_. It felt like someone had paralyzed her feet.

The moment the demon got closer, and the moment the girl's yellow eyes met the demon's unnaturally golden ones was the one where Makoto finally found the strength to move, but only just in time. It wasn't enough, though, and the side of the demon that had lunged towards her hit, causing the girl to fall down. The demon did not stop his charge, however, and ended up ramming right into the tree, though it was likely on purpose.

Kai yelped as he clung to the tree, trying to keep his balance as the demon rammed into it over and over again with his horns. Kai was rather high up at this point, and the demon wasn't thinking logically through his madness, so to him, it seemed like ramming the tree until he fell down was the best idea.

"Don't touch him!' screamed Makoto without thinking as she ran towards the demon with her small claws outstretched. She wasn't even considering the fact that the demon was at least twice her size, and probably three times as powerful

The demon whipped around as he noticed the girl coming towards her, and the first thing he did was lunge towards her, knocking her over, though he didn't manage to do a lot of damage.

"Don't fool around, demon," hissed the owner. "Kill her first, and then get the little brat in the tree! I don't care what you do as long as we manage to eliminate every single demon in this forest!"

The demon let out another screech and ran towards Makoto, knocking her into the tree with his body. She screamed as the demon began to slash at her with his claws, screaming words at her that couldn't be made sense of.

Kai looked down at the commotion, fear in his eyes and heart. When Makoto managed to get a quick look, she realized that he was debating over whether or not he should help. He wanted to, that was for sure, but Kai was usually such a coward that he wouldn't even be able to force himself into such a situation.

Makoto wailed as she tried to force the demon off of her, struggling about. It was working to some extent, but that didn't stop the demon from slashing her every here and there. Had she been a human, she probably would have been dead.

"D-Don't touch my best—" Kai started, looking as if he were about to jump off the tree and onto the demon.

But he never finished that sentence. Out of nowhere, another figure appeared, throwing the demon off of the poor young girl. Makoto felt relief as the slashes stopped, though the pain from the wounds was still strong. She grumbled as she leaning against the tree. Red blood was flowing out of her, and was slowly staining the grass.

"Makoto!" the figure spoke to her, the tone of voice causing the girl's eyes to widen. "Get out of here!"

"M-Mom!" cried the demon as she stared at the woman in front of her, who was none other that her own mother. She had fierceness in her yellow eyes that she had never seen before in her whole life, and it scared Makoto slightly.

"Makoto, listen to me! I'll get this demon, and you run far away from here. Kai! That goes for you, too!" she screamed out to the two of them as she stood in front of the demon, staring it down with the intent to kill in her eyes. "No matter what happens, Makoto, Kai, I want you to run. I don't care if another demon goes after you, or humans attack you. Just _run._"

Makoto glanced up to her friend, and then to her mother, and then to the demon and the human controlling him. The demon was still muttering a few things that couldn't be understood, and the human was just standing there, not fazed by anything that was going on for some strange reason. He just stood there against a tree with that golden orb in his hand, not doing anything else.

The demon let out another screech as he ran towards Makoto's mother, colliding into her.

"Mom!" screeched Makoto, fear filling her at the sight of her mother injured.

"I told you to RUN!" she screamed at her daughter, using the harsh tone a mother would use on a child when they were scolding them or giving them a very, very strict order.

This was enough for Makoto. She trusted her mother, after all. Closing her eyes for a brief second, she decided to clear out any protests she had. Giving another quick glance to the trees behind her, and then to her mother, and then to Kai who was about to do the same thing, she turned around and ran off as fast as she could.

She was surprised that no one followed her, not even the controlled demon or Kai, but that wasn't what she cared about at the moment. All she needed to do was to _run,_ just like her mother had ordered her to do. She had told her to run no matter what happened, after all. So when was she to stop? She didn't know. But whatever the case was, Makoto found herself running about the forest, panting as she did so. She just needed to get far, far away from that man and the demon.

She stopped at the great rock, where the sunlight was visible. She was too tired to continue, even though she had promised her mother that she would keep running. She had run far enough, after all. With a deep breath, she sat against the rock and recalled what had just happened to her. Was that really The Orb of the Demon Kings?

There was no doubt about it. That orb was certainly The Orb of the Demon Kings. She had seen its color and its power, and she had been strangely drawn to it when she saw it. It was said that such a thing marked the power of the Demon King, and that everyone went against the Demon King when he had lost the orb. _And it really did end up it the hands of a human. _Now, that human could control demons, and he had said something about wanting to kill every demon that dwelled in the forest.

She buried her head into her knees. Where was Kai? How was her mother doing against that possessed demon? She didn't know, and she was scared.

Trembling, the girl got up. Perhaps she would go back and take a quick look to see how things were. Perhaps her mother was done, and they could go back and find Kai, and then return to the cave. She nodded with her decision as she began to take steps back towards where she had come from. She knew the location of that tree, so it would be easy for her to find it again. After all, she knew the forest well.

She began to run back to where she came from, back towards where she had been attacked. How were things back there? Where was Kai? These questions kept pounding in her mind, and she needed to know the answer to them. Perhaps she would run into her friend on the way back, but she wouldn't know how things were until she took a good look at them for herself.

Still though, even as she ran, there was no sight of her best friend anywhere. She hoped that she would run into him in another part of the forest later, or that he had gone off in an opposite direction and had not been murdered by the man and his controlled demon. She could feel her heart race with worry as she took each step towards the area, worry and curiosity plaguing her mind.

She stopped when she got closer, and began to inch forward. She hid behind a tree and then peeked out ever so slightly at the place before her.

"Good, demon. That's one down. We'll need to work harder if we're to kill every single demon in this forest," the man told his demon, who was standing above Makoto's mother with clear insanity in his eyes.

Makoto's heart froze when she saw her mother. She wasn't moving, and she was covered with blood. She gasped, her eyes widened with realization. Had her mother really failed to kill that man?

The demon began to move about, and she realized that she had to get out of there are soon as she could, otherwise she would be caught.

She turned around and ran off as fast as she could, the image of her dead mother still strong in her mind as she tried her best to get away from the man. A tear dripped down her face as she recalled all sorts of memories they had shared together. They would never be able to speak to each other ever again after this, and it was all because of that stupid man with The Orb of the Demon Kings.

She had to get away, but she didn't even know where she was going. Salty tears were beginning to blind her vision as they welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face, flying behind her as she ran faster than before. By now, she was just going in a random direction, a direction of the forest she had never actually been in. The forest was large, and there were actually a few places the girl hadn't been to before.

Though that was mostly because there were a few places where her mother hadn't allowed her to go. Now, she was running towards a place where she had been told that she couldn't go to, no matter what. But the girl wasn't thinking at that point, and all she wanted to do was get away. Whether or not not she was allowed to go anywhere was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

She suddenly halted as she heard voices, and then took the chance to look around at where she was. She didn't know this part of the forest, nor did she know how to get back from there. Glancing towards a few trees, she realized that there was something on the other side, something that wasn't just endless trees. With a gulp, she walked towards a tree and hid behind it. She poked her head out from behind it, getting a good look at what was there.

She was absolutely shocked by what she saw. There seemed to be a whole community behind those trees, and there were so many things there that she didn't recognize. There were these tall things that looked sort of like shelter, and there were a whole bunch of trails made with dirt. She blinked at the space before her, wondering why she hadn't gotten a look at it before.

She looked up from there, noticing the sky was completely visible.

_The human world!_ She gasped as she took a few steps back from where she was. The human world was a dangerous place, and she had been advised to never go there.

She couldn't help but take another look, though. The whole place was so much different from the demon world that curiosity was beginning to overflow. She watched as the slight breeze blew the small blades of grass that covered the land, and she just gazed in awe at the whole area in general. How did someone make such a thing? There was nothing of this sort in the forest.

A few humans walked by, chatting to each other about matters that didn't concern the young girl. She felt a twinge of fear as she noticed them, but decided that they wouldn't be able to see her, and that it didn't matter. The humans were acting so casually towards the place, and they weren't amazed by it at all. Well, of course, seeing as they were humans, and that they had lived in this world for a long, long time. There was nothing new and nothing amazing about it to their eyes.

But to the young demon who had spent all her life surrounded by trees and rocks, the world was a whole new one, one that was full of new adventures. Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground as she caught sight of a giant shelter in the center, one that was surrounded by several people.

"Wow," gasped the demon as she clung tightly to the tree. "It's… so… different."

Suddenly, a human who was walking by turned around and caught sight of her. Their eyes locked with hers, and the demon felt herself shrinking away with fear. She clung tighter to the tree, knowing that she had to run away, but this encounter mirrored the one with the possessed demon before. Her feet were frozen to the ground, and even if she wanted to move, she found that she could not.

"Demon!" cried the human, pointing at her. "There's a demon!"

All of the humans turned around and looked at where he was pointing, surprised that a demon had actually come. Makoto knew that the demons always stayed away from this place and avoided all humans, so such a sight was rare to see. She looked behind her briefly, not knowing where exactly she should run. Well, if she was able to muster up the strength to move, that was.

A bunch of humans crowded around the demon, chattering and screaming out threats. "Kill her!" screamed a few of the humans, though none of them actually had a weapon on hand, as they hadn't been expecting a demon to appear out of nowhere.

"She's small, so she should be an easy kill! Anyone have a sword? Perhaps some kind of object that can be used as a weapon?" someone yelled out from the crowd. "I don't have anything on me!"

Makoto really, really, really wanted to run, but people were beginning to lunge towards her, and some people were beginning to appear from the behind and began to push her forward and away from the forest in the midst of the commotion. They latched onto her arms, holding her back as she struggled for release. She had no way to fight off a bunch of men who were a lot older than her _and_ much bigger than her.

"I'm sure there's some kind of weapon here," a man yelled out to the crowd. "Anything that could be used as a weapon could work, even if it's not one used often!"

She screamed as she saw more people begin to gather around, and the grip on her beginning to tighten as her resistance grew. She had to get out of here somehow! She had promised her mother that she was going to run away no matter what happened, and she was currently breaking that promise. Those were the last things that her mother had told her, after all. She couldn't defy her mother!

_But it's all useless._ No matter what she tried, she knew that she couldn't escape the crowd. There were just too many people. She was now heavily regretting having taken a look at this place. Why oh why did she have to get so close to the humans?

"Stop!" a voice suddenly bellowed out, one that for some reason caused all the struggling to halt and all the voices to die down. Why that was, Makoto didn't know, as the voice wasn't as loud as the other voices, nor did it seem as threatening. "Clear a path. Let me take a look at this demon!"

The humans began to break apart, and they bowed as the figure that had appeared began to walk through the path created by them. And as she walked by, each and every human greeted her respectfully. The figure's eyes were now gazing at Makoto, and she instantly noticed that her eyes had fierceness in it that probably caused people to obey right away. No one wanted to argue with a person who had that kind of sternness in his or her eyes.

The figure stepped in front of Makoto, and she began to stop struggling. The grip on her softened just a little bit, though it wasn't enough for the girl to break free from the crowd.

She sighed. "Ah, she's just a little demon," the figure spoke as she observed the demon before her. "Around ten to twelve years old, I'd say." The figure blinked at the demon, observing her closer. "Well, I suppose she's still a demon. Allow me to take her to the shrine and kill her for you."

"F-Furude Chiharu-sama! You have no need to do that! We'll do it for you! We cannot force something like that on our leader, after all," a voice cried out from somewhere in the crowd.

"No, it's fine. As the head of the Furude family, I insist I do something about it," she reached towards the demon and placed her arms around her, and the moment she did so, the grip the men had on her released. However, before Makoto could escape, the woman picked her right off the ground. "She is very light for someone her age. Perhaps my estimate was off."

Makoto struggled, trying desperately to get out of her arms. She knew that the woman would take her to her place of death, and that her life wouldn't contain anymore adventures. _But there was so much I wanted to explore!_ She tried kicking and struggling, but the woman just held her tighter.

"Chiharu-sama, please, allow me to take her," a villager spoke out. "I do not wish to force you to do something like that."

"I already told you that _I_ would take care of it. Or are you questioning me?" she asked the man, her tone harsh.

The man froze to the ground and dipped his head in apology.

"Good," the woman spoke, holding the protesting girl tightly. "This incident is now over. Forget anything ever happened," she ordered the rest of them.

The villagers headed off, not speaking a word to one another. Makoto was relieved to see them go away, but she knew on the inside that the fight wasn't over. She still had to deal with the woman who was currently holding her. Her grasp was firm, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to get out of it very easily. Her struggling up until now had done no good, and even though the woman was now focusing on getting home rather than holding her tightly, the grip did not soften.

Her eyes went wide as she noticed that the two of them were going into the shelter. She struggled even more now that she knew that the place they were going in was one that she would never come out of. Now, more than ever, she wanted to go back to the forest, even if it meant that she couldn't see the sky clearly every single day, and even if it meant being surrounded by an endless amount of trees.

The woman opened up the shelter and walked inside, still holding onto the girl tightly. She had tried to escape when one of her hands left to open the door, but her efforts were in vain. She let out a wail as she entered the area, still thinking about the forest and how much she wanted to go back to it. Even if she didn't have a mother, she would be able to live there in peace. No demon would hurt another demon. She could go off and live with Kai and his mother, or perhaps find another demon to stay with.

But the humans were different. They were not kind to her in the slightest. She had already seen how evil and cruel they could be around her. They were totally different from the demons.

Makoto observed the area she was in. It was a lot different from anywhere she had ever been before, and the inside of it confirmed her suspicion that the place was some kind of shelter. Of course, it was a lot different from the cave that she lived in. This place had a different type of structure, and not only that, but there were many strange objects that the girl didn't recognize.

She was plopped down on to what seemed to be some soft place to sleep, and she found herself looking directly at the woman's eyes. She was scared of what the woman was going to do to her. She was going to kill her, yes, but how would she kill her?

She looked around the room nervously. She didn't _see_ anything that could be used as a weapon, but who knew? She was a human. Makoto didn't know humans very well, but it was possible that they had some kind of power to kill demons or something similar to that. Perhaps they were stronger than demons? She didn't know. She was never taught anything about humans other than that they were cruel, and that they had to stay away from them. She had heard many stories about demons getting brutally slaughtered by humans, and that was enough for her to know that the woman wouldn't be kind.

Fearfully, the young demon turned to meet the eyes of the human, only to see not the intent to kill in the human's eyes, but a rather kind and gentle spark.

"I should not be kind to demons, but you are only a little one and I do not see why I need to kill you," she explained to the demon, who was rather confused. "What is your name?"

"M-M-M…" The demon was hesitant to share any information with the human, but she didn't _seem_ too bad. But who knew? She was a human. She could be pulling some kind of sick joke on her.

"Don't be afraid, I will not kill you. Do you see anything in this room that I could possibly kill you with? There's nothing." She held out her hands, showing that they didn't contain anything in them. Makoto had already figured that out, but such a gesture was reassuring. "My name is Furude Chiharu, and I am the head of the Furude family. Now go on, tell me your name."

Makoto felt slightly better now that the woman had shared her name with her. Did that mean that it was okay to share her name, too? She wasn't sure. However, she was right when she said that there was nothing in the room that it looked like she could kill her with. "M-Makoto…" she managed to squeak out. She regretted it afterwards, though. What if the woman had some kind of power?

Chiharu smiled at her. "All right." She bent down to the demon's side so that she was closer to her height, and then gently patted the girl on the head. "No reason to be afraid. My men were just worried that you would attack them. They are foolish at times. I do not think that a young demon like you would be able to kill. How old are you?"

Makoto looked puzzled. "Old?"

"Yes, as in years," she clarified.

The purple-haired demon blinked in confusion. She didn't understand the question.

"Ah, so you demons don't keep track of age. That's fine. You seem to be around ten, perhaps eleven. Though you are very light for your age. I had no trouble carrying you over here." She suddenly reached out and placed a hand on the girl's stomach, something that startled her. "It seems you are quite skinny. Have you eaten recently?"

Makoto shook her head as she thought of meat. It was very, very hard to get any, as they had to kill humans to get to it, and that meant that they had to go near them. That was always a challenge for the demons, as they were worried about what the humans would do to them if they went _too _close. They were brutal creatures, after all. Sure, they were brave and _would_ kill when they got the chance, but that further enraged the humans for some strange reason that they couldn't point out.

"Poor thing. Hunting humans isn't always easy, I would think. My men are strong, and I don't think they would like to be eaten."

Makoto blinked at those words. She hadn't thought about humans not wanting to get eaten. To her, they had always just been food that had a very vile attitude.

"You do not understand. Well, you are a demon," Chiharu sighed. "You see things different than a human can." She paused for a moment. "Where is your mother?"

The demon girl felt her heart break at the mention of her mother. She had spent every single day with her, and now, suddenly, she was dead. Her mother would never wake up, and it was all because of that man with The Orb of the Demon Kings. She felt a small tear trickle down her face as she thought about her mother's dead corpse, which she barely even got to look at. The sight was just all too horrifying for her.

"…Have you lost your mother?" asked the Furude.

"Y…Yes," answered Makoto, a few more tears coming to her eyes. "She was… she was…"

Chiharu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yes?"

"A human killed her," she finished.

Just the thought caused all the painful memories to resurface, and the pain was now highly visible in those yellow eyes of hers. She wanted her mother back right _now._

Chiharu looked completely taken by surprise the moment that she saw the pain in her eyes, as it was easily readable. However, that shock softened after a while of looking at her. "So it seems that everyone was wrong," she spoke softly as she smiled at the girl. "You are clearly in pain at the loss of your mother. I was told by my father and my ancestors that all demons were evil and cruel. Perhaps it's because you are little, but you do not seem evil and cruel to me." She placed a hand underneath the girl's chin, lifting it up so that she could take a good look into the girl's eyes. "Do not worry. I will be here for you. You can stay here. I will protect you. I will not allow my men to see you."

Makoto looked taken aback from the sudden promise, especially since it was coming from a human. Would she really protect her? She was hesitant at first, but then she remembered how she had saved her from the crowd, and how nice she had been when she offered to tell her her name, and then her soft tone. She didn't seem bad. Besides, where else was there to go? She looked back up into the woman's soft purple eyes, and that was enough for Makoto to realize that she wouldn't cause her any harm.

"T-Thank you," she whispered.

Chiharu smiled. "You are welcome."

Sure, she was now with a human, and she had lost her mother and probably wouldn't see her best friend again, but Makoto had a strange feeling that things were going to get better. Perhaps living with a human wouldn't be all that bad. Besides, from what she had seen today, the image of this woman contrasted greatly with what her mother had told her in the past. Even if those men and women from before were scary, this woman certainly wasn't.

_I wonder what life will be like with a human._

Maybe she would gain a better understanding from this experience.

**~~~~X~~~~  
>Crimso's Corner V.2<strong>

**It seems like forever since I finished a chapter. **_**I. AM. SO. SORRY. **_**I cannot even begin to explain how sorry I am. I was supposed to get a chapter up on Sunday, but I just **_**couldn't.**_** I am under so much stress right now that it's **_**CRAZY.**_** I have a Math test on Monday, and all the problems and concepts are so tricky that I'm getting confused. Not only that, but there are **_**so**_** many concepts that I'm beginning to forget. We usually have a test every two weeks, but it has been a month since our last one, which means this test covers a month worth of learning. **_**A whole month. **_**We learn a new concept almost every two days, and sometimes every **_**day**_**, and… well, you see where I am going with this. I've been trying to keep up.**

**I got my grades back for the first quarter. Here they are. History: A- Everything Else: B+. I don't know how this happened. I haven't gotten a B+ in Science since 5****th**** grade. I haven't gotten a B+ in Math since 6****th**** grade. …Actually, since 5****th****, since I got A C, C-, C-, and a C+ in math last year. But it's still crazy. It's a new grade. It's a higher skill level. But hey, it's the first time I got anything above a B in Spanish. Even though I just failed the quiz we took. My English grade was expected, as my English teacher has given me a B+ in every quarter last year except for one, but that's about it. **

**Anyways, there is a reason I am writing this whole tale out instead of telling it all in one chapter. It's important to know the details. And no, this isn't just so that you know that demons are similar to humans, there are actually things that will come up once again. Like The Tale of Sonozaki Ayame, if you have read Green-Eyed Demon. And no, the legend about the previous Demon King will not be expanded. The information here is all that's being said. It's like a story within a story.**

**This is getting too long. Please review, and I will love you forever. You can have a kitten or a puppy for reviewing. Unrelated, but still. Or any other animal if you don't like those. Or if you don't like animals, you can have a soda. Or a bowl of pasta if you don't like soda. Or a… well, you get the point here. You can have another one of any of the above if you point out a typo. I think my doc editor is starting to work again, so we'll see what happens. I want to get back to editing all those typos in the last few chapters. **

**~Crimso**


	25. Chapter 24: Makoto II

**Crimso's Notes**

**Five days of break for the win. That's five days of writing. I'm not sure how many days I'm going to spend of those five days writing, but… yeah. It's technically Thursday, but in my mind, it's still Wednesday. It IS only 12:08 AM, after all. **

**Higurashi Kira File 3 is being subbed soon. I already watched it, but I'm looking forward to the subs. There was a ton of KeiShion, a medium amount of KeiMion, and just a small amount of KeiRena. Just warning everyone in advance.**

**Note One: FAST, FAST, FAST PACED CHAPTER.**

**Note Two: Once again, I'm skipping about so that I can get through this quickly. I'm sure you all want to get back to Mion and Shion, which is why it's so fast paced. That aside, nothing interesting happens in between time skips. My estimate is that there will be one more chapter.**

**Note Three: This chapter takes place over the course of a long time. Time skips around. It's needed for this.**

**Note Four: I'd say that Makoto's around seventeen at the start of the chapter.**

**Note Five: Keep in mind what I said about the language in the last chapter, as well as how demons behave during this time period. This applies for all of the chapters.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Makoto II**

It had been a while since young Makoto came to live with Chiharu, though she wasn't exactly sure how long it had been. Demons weren't known to keep track of time, so for that reason, the exact amount of time that Makoto had been with Chiharu was unknown to her.

As time flew by, it became apparent that Makoto was older than Chiharu first presumed. Due to the lack of food that Makoto received, she hadn't been growing at the rate that she should have been. She hadn't received proper nutrients and as such, she was very light and very small. Upon feeding her a little more, Makoto began to grow, and she now looked older than she did before. A lot of that was contributed by the fact that time was passing by, though.

Chiharu had taught her many things, such as how to fight with a sword and martial arts. She had also taught a few other various things, but none of them interested Makoto as much as the fighting did. She could feel the rush and excitement when she fought, and it was very thrilling to the girl. She had taken a lot of her time practicing her moves and improving her skills. Things were certainly different since she had come here, and she had grown up quite a bit.

"Here," Chiharu spoke as she put a bowl of _something_ in front of Makoto. "This is your food."

Makoto gazed at what was in the bowl curiously, not sure of the identity of the food before her. Since she had come to the human world, Makoto had tried many foods unknown to demons. All there was to eat in the demon world was meat, and most of that meat consisted of human meat. Sometimes they would eat a passing animal, but with all the demons in the forest, it was hard to find an animal. She had never heard of these noodles that they often ate, nor had she heard of rice or any other kind of food that was commonly eaten among humans. She had also learned of food that wasn't so common, and her taste in food grew quite a bit.

She began to eat the food, even though she didn't quite know what it was. Whatever it was, it had some kind of meat in it and tasted fine to the girl. She dug into the bowl, gobbling up what was inside. She had grown used to the fact that she could eat every single day, unlike how things were in the demon world. Food was hard to come by there, and they would have meat every month or two.

She finished her bowl, gazing at its emptiness. Even though she had grown used to this kind of thing, her stomach still craved the taste of human flesh. She missed the flavor, and it was beginning to get to her quite a bit. When would she get a taste of human flesh again? She looked over at the human standing in the room, and sighed. It was unlikely that she was going to feed her human meat, as she was a human herself. Not only that, but Makoto had become quite attached to Chiharu, almost to the point where it was like she was a second mother. She couldn't bear to kill her.

It wasn't that she had replaced her mother in her heart, though. She still missed the warm smile her mother would give her every day, and the times that she spent together with her. Sure, she lived in a cave and ate every month or so, but that didn't mean she didn't miss those times. However, the thoughts of the past were beginning to fade with each passing day. She was getting used to living in the human world, after all.

"Are you thinking about human meat?" asked Chiharu as she sat down in front of the girl. Upon noticing the startled look that wiped over Makoto's face at the mention of it. "Do not lie."

Makoto looked down at the table. "Yeah," she admitted.

"Well, that is to be expected of you, after all. Do not look so ashamed of yourself. You are a demon, after all, even if you have been spending time with me." She smiled gently as she looked at the purple-haired girl. "But you must understand that human meat is not possible. I will not let any demon kill my men. We do not wish to have demons eating us."

She had mentioned humans not wanting to be eaten before, and Makoto noted that she really hadn't thought about it that way before. Humans, to her, were just food. Sure, she had become close to Chiharu, but as a demon, that thought would forever be in her mind.

"You seem confused. Allow me to explain. Humans do not want to die; therefore they do not wish to be eaten. We have a belief that all demons are out for our blood, and that is why we fight. " She blinked at the girl.

"But humans are just food. They should want to be eaten," muttered Makoto, not taking in the fact that she was talking to a human right now. At the moment, that was the last thought in her mind.

Chiharu sighed. "They are not just food. Humans are living beings with feelings just like you demons. We want to live on, and the last thing a human wants is to be eaten up by a demon for dinner. We would lose everything. Our family, our lives… everything, Makoto. We are not just food. We are living creatures. Just like the animals in the forest. They jump and bounce around, too, even though we do eat them. They are _alive, _Makoto."

Makoto looked down at the table. "But they're _humans._"

"Humans are similar to everyone else. We think, we live and we have feelings. It does not matter if we are humans. If humans ate demons, would you want to be eaten? It's the same thing." She was giving Makoto a serious look, something that surprised her. "After all, aren't I human?"

Makoto's eyes went wide as she realized this. Chiharu was a human, too. She was the same as the humans told in stories that would kill demons mercilessly and would do such horribly things to demons. Now that she thought about her words, she realized that it was possible for humans to feel like demons did. She bit her lip as she put herself in a human's position. She would not want to be eaten.

But that was because she was a demon. Were humans the same way…?

She thought about what Chiharu was telling her.

_It's true, isn't it? Humans can feel like demons…_

But that was contrasting everything that she had been told so far. She had been told by many that humans were nothing like demons, and that they would kill if they got close to a demon simply because they were evil. If humans were really like demons… then were those legends she had heard of… just lies?

Could humans really be the same as demons?

She didn't know anymore.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Due to the fact that humans would often visit the Furude building, Makoto was often kept in a small room that no one usually went in. It was almost barren of furniture, save for a futon that had been placed out and a single wardrobe on the side. There was one window in the whole room, one that lit up the whole room and allowed the sun to shine down on the girl.

She sighed as she rolled about on her futon. It was much more comfortable than a pile of leaves could ever be. She couldn't imagine having to go back to the demon world and sleep on a pile of scratchy, crinkly leaves. This futon was warmer, and it was softer, and overall just _better_. Heck, the pile of leaves couldn't even compare!

She crawled over to the window and poked her head out, careful not to let anyone see her face in the window. Sure, she didn't have any horns or anything that would give away her species, but people would be very confused if they saw a young child they didn't recognize in the head of the Furude family's house. She had noticed that almost everyone in the village knew Chiharu, and that everyone would obey her orders. If she had someone living with her, like a child, then someone would ask and Chiharu would have to come up with some excuse.

But that aside, she enjoyed looking at the outside world. It was much different from the forest she had lived in, to say the least. The girl rarely had the opportunity to step outside, but when she did, she took the opportunity to explore everything. She liked to gaze at the buildings that were around the area, and she was very interested in what the humans did when they were outside. Of course, she made sure that she wasn't caught by anyone whenever she would take a look at the work that the humans were doing.

Chiharu had explained to her that what they were doing was called farming. They were growing various ingredients to sell to get money, whatever that was. She didn't really care about why they were doing it, but the whole activity just interested her. She wondered if the food that they grew tasted good. Was it any good? She had tasted what they had grown before and enjoyed it, but that didn't mean that everyone was good. She was better at climbing trees than Kai, after all.

She sighed as she sat back down on the ground. Chiharu was having a conversation with one of her men, but she was taking an awfully long time. Chiharu would finish talking after a little bit, but today, she was taking much longer than a little bit.

That's when a thought grew in her mind. What did Chiharu talk about with her subjects? She didn't know, and she wanted to find out. Whatever it was this time, it must be important.

She had been warned not to go out of her room when someone was over, but this time, the curiosity was just too much. She walked up to the door and placed a hand on it, ready to open it up. But when she did, an image of her mother scolding her for going close to the human world when she had clearly told her not to came into her mind. The fierceness of her yellow eyes were the most detailed part of that picture, and the very thought made her shudder.

But even so, she needed to know the answers. And for that reason, Makoto slid open the door and walked out into the hallway.

She didn't know where to go at first, but her ears quickly picked up the sound of two people talking, one of which being Chiharu. Nodding, she walked over to the source of the sound. They were speaking behind a door, so Makoto decided it was best to just stand in front and listen while the two of them had their conversation.

"…Six is the number that I've taken care of in the last week…" spoke the voice of a male.

"I see. That is your largest number so far. I believe that the attacks have decreased since you have started doing this, Takashi. Thank you. How is _he_ doing?" Chiharu's voice asked.

"He is perfectly obedient and very, very powerful. I picked the right demon," the male responded.

There was a slight pause. "…I suppose that Orb of the Demon Kings really does work miracles. Even demons will obey…"

"It does work miracles. The demons sure have been vicious lately, though. Ever since that one tried to attack the village and we killed him, we have been getting more and more demons attacking seeking revenge. They are getting very close, and as such, I have been keeping up my duty of murdering each and every one of them so that they will not attack humans under any circumstances…" the male spoke.

"Good. Thank you for your work, Takashi," Chiharu responded.

"The pleasure is mine. I am grateful to be working for the great heads, after all. If you need me, I'll be spending my time around the entrance to the forest near the Furude Shrine. I'll be back for a report next week."

"I'll remember that."

Makoto felt her heart stop. The Orb of the Demon Kings, the demon controlling, the killing... it all fit together. The image of the man who killed her mother with that demon flashed in her mind, and it scared her. And what was this about killing six demons this week, and killing more before. What was all these demons attacks about? Demons would never attack humans! Humans were the ones that attacked humans! Whenever they did attack, it was because they were afraid that the humans would kill them!

She scurried back into her room instantly, her heart filled with fear. That man had been killing all the demons, and for no reason, too! Not only that, but Chiharu was _grateful_ to him, and was encouraging this, despite the fact that she lived with a demon. How could she? !

Only a minute later did Chiharu open the door to the girl's room, her eyes stern as she looked at her. Had she heard her?

"Makoto, I told you not to go out of your room," spoke Chiharu's stern and rather angry voice.

But Makoto didn't even listen to her scolding. That wasn't what mattered right now. Rage was in her heart after hearing what the man and her had been talking about. There had been demons being killed, and she had had no knowledge that it had been happening. "You should be the one that's ashamed!" snapped Makoto, not even thinking about her words as they streamed out of her mouth. "You have been killing demons! You have been letting him kill demons!"

Chiharu looked shocked that someone would dare speak back to her, but that expression faded after a few seconds and was replaced by her former one. "Makoto, listen. I like you a lot. You are not like the other demons. When I brought you here, you were a small demon, and you did not know how to kill or anything like that. I had taught you swordsmanship and martial arts since I know that you would use those for good only, since you have been raised by me for the last few years. The other demons are evil and cruel unlike you. We must get rid of them before they attack." She had a dead serious look on her face, which was also mixed with anger, but that didn't intimidate Makoto in the slightest.

"That's not true! You don't get what demons are! Demons would only attack a human since THEY are the ones that are evil and cruel! We don't like humans, and that's why we attack. We attack because we know that they are going to kill us, and there's no way that we want to die!" she snapped back at her. "Demons aren't bad! Humans are the bad guys! You humans really are vile and cruel, aren't you?"

Chiharu shook her head. "We attack demons because they are the ones that are going to attack. In truth, we are afraid of them. It's different from what you think, Makoto. Demons are different from what you think they are."

Makoto felt more wood being added to her flame of rage. "That's not true! How could you understand what a demon feels? I'm a demon! You are a human!"

"And I understand how a human feels. We don't want to attack humans, we only attack when demons attack."

Makoto gritted her teeth and looked down at the ground. This conversation wasn't going to get anywhere, now was it? Chiharu thought differently than how she thought. She believed that demons attacked, and in defense, humans attacked them, when in truth, it was the humans that attacked the demons. The demons attacked because they didn't want to be attacked by the humans. It was completely different than how she thought of it.

The two almost contradicted each other. Humans fought demons because they were scared of getting hurt, and demons fought humans because they didn't want to die. It was almost like there was some kind of misunderstanding…

She shook her head at the thought. That's not what it was.

Chiharu let out a sigh as she looked at the demon in front of her. "But Makoto, do not be angry with me. I do not hate you. Sometimes, I even think of you as my own child. I care for you, and I do not want you to think that I hate you now, and I do not want you to hate me. Please understand why we have been doing this. I do not want to hurt you, Makoto."

Makoto looked down at the ground uncomfortably and nodded her head.

"Good." Chiharu smiled at the girl. "Now, how about if we forget about this incident and move on?"

Makoto nodded again. She wasn't really listening, but that was all she could do for now.

**~~~~X~~~~**

A week or so later, Chiharu and Makoto were sitting in the dojo of the Furude household. Every once in a while, Makoto would head over to the Furude dojo and start slashing a few swords around, and then she would try out her skills on a few targets. She noted that she was getting a lot better. She hadn't been able to fight at all when she first came, but she was now able to fight very swiftly with a sword and her martial arts moves were almost perfected.

Makoto was resting. She had spent a good portion of that day just beating up several targets. She was worn out by now, and a good rest was what she needed at the moment. Chiharu had been watching her the whole time. In the beginning, she had been the one who taught her, but she was becoming more of a watcher who pointed out a few things to her as she practiced.

"You've grown very strong, Makoto. I am glad that my teaching skills have done some good. I am not completely confident in my ability to teach. In fact, I'm doubtful that my daughter has been very successful in comprehending what kind of weight lies on her shoulders…" spoke Chiharu.

She had heard about Chiharu's daughter a few times, and she had heard her speak before, but the two of them had obviously not met in person. She was currently being trained to become the next head of the Furude family, and Makoto would often tell her about all the hardships she had to go through to learn. It sounded tough, even more so than learning how to fight. Well, learning how to fight was a part of becoming the head. She had explained that knowing how to do so was necessary if they ever encounter a situation where they must do so.

"Thank you," replied Makoto as she took a few breaths. "But I haven't perfected anything yet. I have to continue…"

Makoto stood back up and reached for the sword on the ground. She wasn't actually sure what kind of sword it was, but it had quite a sharp blade. Chiharu had said the name of it once, but for some reason, the name escaped her. She picked it up and held it in her arms, moving to position herself the way she should when she was expecting an attack.

Makoto held the sword and slashed it, just for practice, and then did so again. She got back into position as she focused her eyes on a small, wooden target in the back. Letting out a small battle cry, the girl ran forward and slashed it, cutting it straight through the middle. It was a perfect slash, as she had been aiming for that very same spot.

"Good job. You hit your target. As I said yesterday, you really shouldn't worry about not being perfect. You are near perfect," Chiharu said as she watched the demon.

"I need to learn more," growled Makoto as she slashed the broken target once again, aiming to cut the first piece of it in half, which she managed to do. She then went for the second one, managing to cut that, though not getting the spot that she had been aiming for. Growling, she moved over to another target, upset that she hadn't gotten the blade where she had wanted to. She slashed that target, hitting it where she wanted to, but then failed to do so when she went for the first half.

She shook her head, clenching her teeth. She needed to be perfect! The girl slashed the second half, slashing it where she wanted to this time, which caused a little stress to fly away. Still, though, the girl knew that she had a long way to go before she perfected her abilities. She needed to become the best fighter. It was the only thing she really enjoyed doing these days, after all.

Makoto worked on another target, slashing it perfectly, and then preceding to get all the halves perfectly as well. A smirk of victory grew on her face as she positioned the sword normally once again, feeling pride at having cut them all perfectly. It made her feel good, and made her forget that she really did have a long way to go before she became perfect at the skill. Still, though, she could be happy at where she was at for now.

Just as she was about to go for another target, Makoto paused. She could have sworn she heard footsteps coming from the hallway, and very fast ones at that. Yet, she didn't feel any danger from the presence outside of the room. It wasn't one where an alarm would set off in her the moment she felt it nearby, like with the man who had killed her mother.

Then, she realized something. _If I don't feel any danger from it, doesn't that mean that the presence is—_

She didn't finish that thought. The next thing she knew, the door broke down, revealing a demon standing there, her eyes fixed on Chiharu. Chiharu instantly stood up, frightened. How in the world did a demon get by the guard?

"I don't usually do this, but we have no choice now," growled the demon as she looked at the woman. "We aren't supposed to do this… but then again, does it matter right now? I heard that you were a leader of the village or something like that, and since the leader of the village has been killing us, we must destroy in order to survive."

"You, how did you get here?" barked Chiharu as she stared at the demon.

The demon unsheathed her claws. "I killed the guards and snuck by the humans. It was tough, but with a motivation to kill the beast that has been killing out your species, it was enough." She growled. "I will not allow evil creatures like you to kill our species anymore!"

Makoto clutched the sword tightly as she stared at the demon, who was now staring at Chiharu with the intent to kill in her lime green eyes. The next thing that anyone in the room knew, the demon was lunging towards the woman, her claws outstretched and ready to tear through human flesh.

Makoto stood there, her grip on her sword tighter than ever. Should she kill the demon that was attacking Chiharu? Chiharu was a good friend of hers, and she had become a second mother to her. But she couldn't betray her own kind and kill a demon. She was only fighting because she thought that the humans were trying to kill off her species for no reason.

True, she was trying to kill off their species, but that was because in Chiharu's mind, demons were the evil ones. They believed that demons were the ones attacking them for no reason. The demon who was attacking her now had a different idea in her mind. She believed that the humans were the evil ones, attacking them for no reason.

She thought back to the conversation that she had had with Chiharu before. The two idea that humans and demons had were opposites, and the reason why they were fighting was just because they couldn't understand each other. But not Makoto. She was different. She knew the reason why they were fighting now, and she knew that she had to stop it, no matter what the cost. All the killing was pointless. There was no reason to it other than misunderstanding!  
>Makoto ran towards the demon with a sword in her hand. She had no intent to kill the demon, but she wanted to explain things to her before she dared try to fight Chiharu. Chiharu herself was fighting, though she was struggling. She was doing her best with her martial art skills to fight off the demon, but it wasn't enough. It was clear that the demon that was attacking was one that contained extreme amounts of power, an amount that surpassed most demons.<p>

"Don't!" she screamed out as she broke in between the two of them with a sword. "Don't kill each other!"

The two of them broke apart as they stared at the demon in between them, both of them looking confused, but the demon more so than Chiharu.

"A fellow demon? Why are you here?" asked the demon as she inspected the demon in front of her. "And why are you stopping me from killing this vile creature? You know that she's been organizing the killing of all the demons! She's the one that's telling the man to kill us all with the demon he's controlling!" she cried out.

"You don't get it! It's not like that!" cried Makoto as she looked over to the other demon. "It's all a misunderstanding! It's—"

"Don't get in my way!" screamed the demon before Makoto could finish her sentence. She ran forward and out of the way of the demon that was blocking her, and then proceeded to slash at the human in the room. She pushed her right into a wall and began to claw her as fast as she could, creating large gashes on Chiharu's stomach and cutting right through cloth.

Chiharu cried out and tried to struggle away, but the demon's strength was incredible. She pushed a single hand against her shoulder in order to get her closer to the wall and then used a single hand to do all the slashing. It did less damage, but it ensured that she definitely wouldn't get free.

"No!" screamed Makoto as she ran forward the sword, aiming to cut the demon's back open. With her skills, it was highly possible that she could do such a thing.

But the demon saw this coming from a mile away and jumped away, causing Makoto to almost run into her friend with the sword, though she managed to stop just in time. She stared at the woman, who was now covered in blood, her whole body trembling.

"Don't worry Chiharu! I—"

There was a hollow thud as Chiharu's body fell lifeless to the ground. Makoto's eyes grew wide with fear as she took a few steps back, realizing that she had failed her friend. She could have done something instead of just trying to convince the demon not to fight back there! Sure, it was the least violent thing she could have done, but if she injured the demon enough to then force her to listen, then Chiharu wouldn't have…!

"CHIHARU!" she screamed out as she ran towards her, her eyes fixed on the dead body. It was clear that she had lost much too much blood to handle, and that the wounds that the demon had inflicted upon her were great. She placed her hands on the woman and began to shake her as if to wake her up, not accepting the fact that she was dead. She knew that she was, but she just didn't want to accept it. Chiharu had become like a mother to her. She had already lost her real mother, and she couldn't stand the thought of losing the one who had become like a second one to her!

"Give up on it," sighed the demon in the corner, who was now inspecting her claws. "She was the one that was killing off her species. Besides, why are you so sad about it? I don't get—"

"You don't get it!" screamed Makoto. "She took me in after my mother was killed by that man! She taught me that humans and demons aren't so different! I know the truth! I was trying to tell you that all of this is just a misunderstanding! Don't you get it? Humans attack demons because they think demons want to attack them, and we think the same way! It's all pointless!"

The demon looked taken aback. "Well… I've never thought about it that way. Perhaps you could tell me a little more about this." She replied, still not feeling anything for the life that she had just taken. "What is your name?"

Makoto growled at her, tears streaming down her face. She just didn't get how important the woman whose life she had just taken was! She clenched her fists, not wanting to answer the demon. So what if she was the same as her? She had just killed Chiharu!

The demon sighed as she walked up to her. "I am sorry I didn't listen. Now would you tell me your name?"

"Makoto," muttered Makoto through her clenched teeth.

"Makoto?" repeated the demon.

Makoto nodded.

"All right, Makoto. I'm Kaede. I'm glad we met. Now, come with me…"

Without having anything else to do, or anywhere else to go, Makoto followed the demon out the door and down the hallway. She didn't know where to go now that her caretaker had been murdered. For now, she would follow this orange-haired demon back to the demon's land. She had missed so much since she had been away, after all.

"So, tell me about this misunderstanding," Kaede spoke as they exited the Furude house. She quickly dashed into the trees, and Makoto followed. "What is it all about?"

"I said before what it's about. All this fighting between humans and demons is completely pointless. You see, humans think that we are the evil ones. The reason why they attack us is because they think that we are going to attack them. We think the same thing. There's no reason why we should be fighting," explained Makoto as she walked behind her, though refusing to meet Kaede's lime eyes.

"That is hard to accept," replied Kaede. "I was told when I was little that all humans were evil."

Makoto growled. "I was too. But it's the truth. I have been living with the woman you just killed for the last few years. I know how humans think now." She paused as she clenched her fists. "And I want all demons to think that way."

Kaede sighed and said nothing for a few minutes. They continued down the forest and further into it. Her expression was unknown, as Makoto still refused to look up at the demon.

After a while, Kaede finally spoke. "Well, I suppose I could accept it if I thought about it a little more. I did some thinking, and it may make sense… but I can't forgive them for a few things. …But really, even though I am a little more accepting, it will be hard for the others to understand."

Makoto nodded as she thought about that fact. The fact that humans were evil creatures was set in stone in the minds of all demons, and getting them to accept that would be tough. Even more so the humans, since she herself was a demon, and they would try to kill her as they would think that she was trying to kill them by getting close. She sighed. It would be tough, but she had to do it. She had to get humans and demons to understand each other!

"I will do my best to make others understand, but I doubt this is going to go very far. You'll need something to make them obey. …Like the Orb of The Demon Kings."

Something snapped in Makoto's mind at the mention of the Orb. That orb had the power to draw demons in, didn't it? They listened to the previous demon king because he had that orb, and they stopped when he lost that orb. If she had that orb… then…!

_ "If you need me, I'll be spending my time around the entrance to the forest near the Furude Shrine…"_

That man with the orb was near the Furude Shrine, wasn't he? She clenched her fists. He was powerful, but she was too. She had learned martial arts, and she could use those, even though she didn't have a sword on hand at the moment. She was better at using swords, but that didn't matter at the moment. She knew the location of that man, and if she got that orb, she could stop the killings _and_ get all the demons to obey her!

"That's it, Kaede!" cried Makoto suddenly.

Kaede whipped around to look at her. "Huh?"

"I'm going to get it! I'm going to get The Orb of the Demon Kings! And I know exactly where that man is…!" She smiled as she stared into the lime eyes of the demon before her, doing so for the first time since they had left the house. "Thank you, Kaede!"

Without another word, Makoto sped off in the direction in which she had come from, leaving behind a very, very confused Kaede. The Furude house was near the shrine, so she could get there without a problem. She smiled as she thought about that orb, and how easy it would be to get her hands on it with her skills. Sure, it would take efforts, but the man would never see her attack coming. She didn't even need to kill him. If she could only grab the orb and release the controlled demon from the hold of the orb, then she could certainly succeeded in her mission. Besides, wasn't the point not to kill him due to the misunderstandings?

She shook her head. No, if she needed to kill him in order to achieve this ideal, then a single sacrifice wouldn't hurt.

She stopped as she came to the part of the forest that was in front of the Furude Shrine. She looked around, trying to find the man. He didn't seem to be there. Taking a few steps closer towards the end of the forest, and then a few steps to the left, she looked about. He still wasn't there.

Grumbling, Makoto continued on her way, looking to the side of her as she walked by the Furude Shrine area. She needed to find him, no matter what it took!

A grin broke out across her face as she spotted a demon with black hair and medium-sized white horns standing there, a man at his side. In the man's hand was none other than The Orb of the Demon Kings. Its gold color and the power coming from it gave it away. She looked towards the demon, not recognizing him. Perhaps the other one had been killed?

Makoto had to admit; it really did draw her in, just like the time when she was with her mother. It was just so golden… so pretty… so _powerful._

She shook her head. She couldn't think like that. Taking a deep breath, she positioned herself behind the man's hand, the one that was clutching onto that powerful orb. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at it, finding it hard to take her eyes away from it. Well, that was kind of a good thing. She could easily find it if he tried to hide it or if it was dropped. She mentally prepared herself for what was going to come up. He would attack, so she had to be ready to be hurt.

She dashed, ramming into the man from the behind by accident. He jumped and whipped around when he felt it. If Makoto could see his eyes, she was sure that they would be filled with shock. With a quick movement, she reached her hand out for the golden orb, ready to grasp onto it.

But the man pulled it away at the last moment, staring at the demon that had just attacked with a smirk on his face. "Ah, have you come to steal this orb from me? It's not going to happen, demon." He turned to the demon on his right, who was now staring at Makoto with fierce golden eyes. "Demon, kill her!"

The demon let out a scream as he ran for the girl, his claws outstretched. Dodging, Makoto allowed the demon to ram into a tree by accident. He turned around and lunged for her again, yelling out what was probably words, though they could not be made sense of. Makoto did her best to dodge again, though the side of the demon hit her and caused her to stumble back a little.

Makoto preformed a martial arts move on the demon, one involving her kicking the man with technique that could only be described as masterful. The demon yelped as he rammed into a tree, and Makoto took this chance to slash at the demon, just as Kaede had done to Chiharu. It was working well until the demon broke free and tackled her, causing her to fall down.

She quickly got up, however, and began to stare down her opponent. She raised her sharp claws and ran towards the demon, clawing him right in the face deeply. He yelped as he blindly whacked the girl, once again causing her to tumble backwards. It appeared that the demon wasn't really thinking about what he was doing. The orb was ordering to kill, and it seemed to her that the orb's orders were causing him not to think logically and do nothing else but kill, no matter how logical the moves were.

The man watched the battle with a smirk on his face. He wasn't doing anything but watching and holding onto that orb. He didn't need to fight with an orb like that, after all.

Then, Makoto realized something. Why was she fighting the demon? If she killed the demon, then the man could use the orb on her, or perhaps escape. It wouldn't do anything to kill the demon! She whipped around towards the man and lunged for him instead, startling the man. He had _not_ been expecting her to do that. She had been so preoccupied with taking out his demon, after all.

"Demon, protect me!" screamed the man as the orb flashed with his order.

As fast as the demon could, he appeared in front of her master, but all Makoto did was push him aside and ram into the man, who gasped as he was thrown against the tree. Makoto grabbed his hand and held it against the tree, putting all her strength into it, much like how Kaede kept Chiharu restrained. However, unlike Kaede, she did not slash. She grabbed the man's wrist with her free hand, and then trailed down until she felt the smoothness of the orb. She grabbed it, trying to pry it out of his fingers, but the man's hold was tight.

"Demon, quick! Kill her while you have the chance. Do it—"

There was the dull sound of something hitting the floor, and Makoto quickly released the man. She snatched up the fallen orb, holding it in the palm of her hand. Just by doing that, she could sense how powerful it truly was. It made _her_ feel powerful.

She clutched it tightly as she stared at the demon, who hadn't attacked her as his master's order wasn't finished. That aside, _she_ was the one who was holding it now, so his order would have been canceled out, anyways.

"Demon, be free of this orb!" screamed Makoto. She felt the orb flash in her hand and its power grow as the hold it had on the demon was destroyed. It disconnected itself from the demon's soul, and when it did, the demon's eyes returned to being a deep blue color. He blinked as he looked about, realization hitting him.

"…Did that thing just…? !" he cried out as he looked at the golden orb and then to the man. "…Ah… I know! I killed his demon and then he connected me to that orb and… oh…"

She turned to the man, who was staring at her in shock. "He did. And now its time he's punished for what he did. Will you kill him for me?"

The demon turned to her, and then looked at the golden orb. The color of it was drawing him in. "Yes!" he cried out instantly as he turned to the man, his claws outstretched. He wasted no time. He ran towards the man and clawed him deeply, causing the man to cry out in pain.

As the man looked from his former demon, to Makoto, to his orb, and then back again, he gulped. He clutched the wound created, and then realized he had no chance of surviving.

"…You win!" he yelled out before running off as fast as he could.

"Wait! I'll get—" the demon began to cry out.

"No, it's fine," Makoto told him before he could do anything. "You don't have to kill him."

The demon relaxed and nodded his head. "All right then. If you say so." He turned to Makoto, a smile on his face. "Thank you for saving me. I don't know what was up with me. He went around with this other demon and killed people, so I tried to kill him, and I did manage to kill his demon, but…" He shook his head. "He got me. It's a good thing that you realized what would happen if you kept trying to fight me. Anyways, what's your name?"

"Makoto," she replied. "You?"

The demon smiled. "I'm Kenji. It's a pleasure to meet you, Demon King Makoto."

She looked at the orb. Now that she had it, it meant that she was the demon king. That meant that all demons were going to obey her now. She smiled as she clutched the orb. She was the demon king. When she heard the story of the Demon King Hachirou, she never thought that she would one day be the holder of that orb. _How fate plays with you…_

"Thank you, Kenji. Now, would you mind taking me back to the rest of the demons? It's been a while, and I want to meet my subjects…"

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**It's 3:46 AM. Way past by bedtime. I always need to be asleep by three, but I needed to finish this chapter. I feel like I've said this way too many times. Well, in GED, anyways. I have only written FIVE chapters this month, and it's the twenty fourth. By this time in GED, I was finished. This is taking way longer than I wanted it to. I need to be done so that I can work on WAN before March rolls around. I do not want to be caught in a situation like GED, where I have a limit of three months to work on fanfiction. That was horrible. I rushed too much with GED. I hope when I get around to the rewrite, all will be fixed. Unfortunately, the rewrite I have planned is four parts long, each of them being like... twenty chapters. I guess rushing can't be helped.**

**That said, I'm going to be working all this break. I hope I can get things done!**

**In any case, I hope you're enjoying the tale so far. I've thought this out quite a bit. I was hoping that this chapter would end with her meeting everyone and claiming power, but I thought this was a fitting ending, and when I thought about it, it worked out quite a bit. Besides, I need to go to bed. **

**I'm going to cut this short so that I can go to bed. Please review! If you review, you get a fake version of The Orb of the Demon Kings. If you point out typos, you will get a pet turtle. ...If you don't like turtles, you can get a bunny or any other kind of small animal. But why would anyone dislike turtles? They're just so cute. My best friend has a pet turtle that is a serial killer. He apparently killed all the fish that lived in his cage. His name is Mr. Snuggles. Nice name for a serial killer, huh?**

**Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!**

**~Crimso **


	26. Chapter 25: Makoto III

**Crimso's Notes**

**I don't care for Thanksgiving food. I ate more than usual this year, but still, I don't care for it. Turkey is fine, and so is mashed potatoes, but otherwise… not so much. I tried stuffing this year, since I convinced my mom not to make it with celery (I cannot stand celery! I ate celery once on the airplane to Spain and I then threw up five times. Three on the plane, one in the airport, and another on my pants when I was in the cab. I stopped after that. And it was ALL the celery's fault!). It was fine. Cranberry sauce is… meh, but that's because it's cranberry sauce. I didn't eat the rest. I had ice cream, though. Don't like pie.**

**Note one: Oh boy… so I said the last two chapters were fast paced, but they really weren't. I believe this one will be. …Maybe not, but I'm warning you in advance.**

**Note two: I do believe this concludes the story.**

**Note three: Please remember the notes that were said in the last chapters, like the ones about the characters and the language. These apply to this chapter as well. **

**Note four: The way the demon system is structured will be different from how things were back then, seeing as they're demons and have a different way of running things. **

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Makoto III**

Kenji was glad to take Makoto back to the area of the forest where most of the demons dwelled, seeing as she had The Orb of the Demon Kings in her hand and was therefore king. He kept eyeing the orb the whole time, his eyes attracted to the shiny color of the orb. That was to be expected, though. Makoto and Kenji wandered through the forest, Makoto thinking all the while about how she was going to speak about humans to the demons. It would be tough, that was for sure.

Sure, she could use The Orb of the Demon Kings to make them obey, but she didn't want to. That kind of defeated the purpose. Then, they would only understand her ideals because she held the orb. What she could tell them, however, was to listen and consider everything that she was going to say. That was a good way to do things, since they would definitely try to take in consideration the truth about humans. It would be hard for them to accept, as Kaede pointed out, but Makoto was determined not to fail.

_Then, we can create a world together, where demons and humans can live together in peace for all eternity…_

She smiled at that thought. It would take a while to make the humans listen, but she could certainly try. The Orb of the Demon Kings didn't work on humans, but she could use it to order the demons to try to get them to obey. It would work out perfectly. But before she was to do that, she needed to get the demons on her side and form a plan to get this ideal to work, and she also needed to figure out how she was going to lead things as the Demon King. Every demon in the forest would be looking up to her for advice and orders. She needed to create a system, and she needed to find a way to keep her demons healthy. She had been much too small for someone her age when she arrived at Chiharu's house.

Perhaps she could use some guards that would help her with some things and also prevent anyone from stealing that orb from her. Hachirou apparently dropped the orb, but was that really the truth? He could have had it stolen. She didn't know, and just in case, she thought that the idea of having guards was a good one.

_…Two? No. I should have three guards._

But who would those guards be? She wasn't quite sure about that. Whatever the case may be, she just needed to wait before she figured that out. That wasn't the most important thing on her mind right now.

The Orb of the Demon Kings had the ability to control one demon completely. No matter what, they would obey what the orb said. The orb also attracted the attention of many demons and was what made people their demon king. However, this was more voluntary. Sure, they were attracted to it, but they had decided that The Orb of the Demon Kings would be the object that made a demon king. The power it had to control a single demon was complete and utter control, one that they couldn't break out of, even if they wanted to. Well, maybe they could, but it hadn't happened before. They could order them to do _anything_ and they would comply, even if it were out of character. Looking to Kenji, Makoto decided that the insane demon she had met before wasn't similar to him in the slightest, despite them being the same person.

She didn't want to use the orb to control a demon's mind like how the man had been using it. She didn't want to control anyone by binding their soul to the orb and forcing them to comply. She simply wanted to use the fact that demons were attracted to the shiny gold color and have them obey in that way. It worked for all the demons in the world, and not just for one demon. Well, it would still attract demons even if a demon's soul was bound to it, but that was beside the point.

They eventually reached the spot where most demons gathered around, though why they liked that spot was slightly confusing to the girl. It did have a very small pond, but no demon ever did anything with the pond aside from the occasional drink. It really wasn't anything special, either, due to its size. There were now many, many demons hanging about, some of them talking to each other and others just gazing at their reflection in the lake.

Kenji turned to her and nodded, indicating that she should go ahead and do what she came to do.

She nodded and cleared her throat. Clutching the orb tightly, the girl held it up in the air for everyone to see. "Everyone, attention!" she called out, so that everyone in the whole area turned to look at her. At first, they were rather confused as to why someone would want their attention, but as soon as they turned around to look, they caught sight of the shiny, glistening, golden orb that was held in her hand. At once everyone ran up to her and crowded around, their eyes focused on the orb and the girl that was holding onto it.

"Look, she has The Orb of the Demon Kings! She must be the Demon King!" cried a random demon as he stared at the glimmering orb.

"Is it really The Orb of the Demon Kings?" asked a demon.

"It has to be! The color… the power… it's definitely The Orb of the Demon Kings!" cried another demon.

"But Hachirou-sama lost it!" another demon yelled out.

"And _she_ found it!"

Makoto grinned as she noticed everyone crowding around her. There were more and more demons coming from other areas of the forest, having heard the commotion coming from far away mostly due to the fact that everyone was being very loud. That was to be expected, though. The Orb of the Demon Kings had been lost for years and years. It was unlikely that such a young girl would one day show up with it in her hands.

"Everyone, my name is Makoto!" she cried out as she held the orb high in the air. "I am indeed your new demon king! Even though I am small, I wish that everyone would listen to me! If you are aware of this orb's power, please sit down!"

Instantly, everyone around her sat down on the ground and looked up at her expectantly. Makoto was shocked by how obedient they were, but she quickly got over that. It _was_ The Orb of the Demon Kings after all, and it _did_ control Kenji to the point where he was completely insane, and it did make Hachirou lose power the moment he dropped it.

"Thank you. As your new demon king, I wish that a few of you would comply to my next order. And that is to round up all the demons in this whole forest! There could be a few exceptions, but make sure most are here! Check to see if your friends are here and if your family is here. If not, go get them!" she yelled out to the whole crowd.

As soon as she said that, a few demons began to look around, and when they couldn't find their friends, they got up and began to look around the crowd of demons. Makoto stood there as she watched some demons run off deeper into the forest to try to fetch any demon that could have missed her yelling and the demons' rather loud chattering. She sighed as she clutched The Orb of the Demon Kings a little tighter, amazed by how powerful it was. Everyone was listening to her!

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the crowd, and Makoto spotted a familiar demon pushing his way through the crowd. He was shouting her name loudly as he got closer, and when Makoto met his eyes, hers grew wide.

"Kai!" she cried out as she ran towards him. "It's been so long!"

As she got close to the blue-haired demon, she began to inspect him. He had grown quite a bit since she had last seen him and he looked more mature overall. However, he was still shorter than Makoto, which was something funny for a male his age. He should be at least somewhat taller than her. At that moment, it became clear to her that the demons didn't get enough to eat. They weren't getting the food they needed to grow. Looking around, she realized she was taller than a lot of the demons here, and if not taller, she was as tall as them. There was a small amount of demons that were taller, but that _was_ only a small amount.

_I need to find them food._

"Makoto, I was so worried about you when you disappeared! I came back to find your mother dead, and then when I went to your cave to check on you, you weren't there!" he cried out, his eyes filled with worry. "I came back every single day to see if you had come back, but you never did come back. And now, here you are, with The Orb of the Demon kings…! The same orb that man used to kill your mother! …You're the Demon King now, Makoto!"

Makoto smiled at her friend. He hadn't changed all that much, now had he? Well, that was only judging by what he had just said. He really was a worrier, and it looked as if it were no different now. However, there were certainly other things that could have changed about him.

"I know. I'll explain everything as soon as more demons are gathered. All right, Kai?" she spoke to him.

He nodded; small tears in his eyes beginning to form out of happiness that came with finding his best friend once again, who he was sure had been killed.

Another demon stepped forward, and this time it was Kaede, the demon who had killed Chiharu. "I'm surprised. You actually found The Orb of the Demon Kings. …Well, I hope that you can succeed with your ideals. It may be hard to convince people, as I said before, but I will consider accepting…"

"Thank you, Kaede," she responded.

A while later, the amount of demons began to grow, and Kenji suggested that they should get started. He spotted almost all of the demons he knew, and many others he had seen before, and that was enough for him to know that most of the demons were now here.

She nodded at him.

"Hello everyone!" she cried out, straining how loud her voice could go. There were so many demons she needed to speak out to, and it was doubtful that all of them could hear her. "I am your new Demon King, Makoto! I have come with proof! Look here!" She raised her arm up and allowed The Orb of the Demon Kings to glisten and catch the attention of every demon around her. When she gazed at their line of sight, she found out that they were all looking at the orb rather than her. Not that it really mattered. As long as they were listening to her, it would be okay. "Now that I have the attention of all of you, I want to discuss a rather serious topic. And that would be humans."

There was some chattering amongst the demons, but most of them were focused on the orb.

"I order you all to listen and take in consideration what I am about to say. The things I am going to say will be shocking and hard for you to accept, but I still wish for your full cooperation." She took a deep breath as she thought over what she was to say to them. Would they believe her? "I want you to know that a while ago, I encountered the man who had The Orb of the Demon Kings, the one who was killing off all of us by controlling a demon and using it to drive him into insanity. He killed my mother." She could feel a few tears in her eyes at the memory, but she tried to shake them off. "After that, I found myself in the human world, and a human took me in. She raised me, and she had been up until a very short time ago. It happened today."

Silence came from the audience, which was an indication that she should continue.

"…During that time, I gained an understanding of humans. I learned that humans are no different from demons, and that they aren't the evil beings we describe them as being! The reason why they attack is because we attack, and the reason why we attack is because they attack. There's no point to the fighting that's going on!" She could hear demons begin to chatter louder than before, and she was sure that some of them doubted her. "…Please take in what I am saying. Do not reject what I am saying right away. This is coming from your Demon King, Makoto. I have the orb." She sighed. "Anyways, with this information, I hope to create a world where all this pointless fighting is ceased! I want to create a world where we can live peacefully with the humans!"

There was more chatter, and Makoto could hear some demons debating over whether or not it was true, some of them refusing to accept even what their demon king said.

"That's crazy! A human killed my mother!" shouted a demon from the crowd. "There's no way that a creature who killed my mother could be good!"

"Yeah! I agree!" another one shouted.

"Humans are evil beings! They are not like us!"

Makoto sighed as she rubbed her temples. It appeared that no one seemed to agree with her. She watched as the arguing continued on with a few of them considering the idea, but most of them downright rejecting the idea.

"Stop!" cried Kai from the amount of demons. He ran up in front of Makoto, making his presence known. "I believe her! I believe what Makoto has to say! Just think about it for a little bit. Why do you think that humans kill demons? Is it just because they're evil? No one can be that evil. No one can kill without a reason. So that's why I'm going to believe what Makoto has to say. Why do we kill humans, after all? We kill because we don't want to be killed, and sometimes for food. It's never without a reason!"

"Kai," whispered Makoto, a smile on her face.

Kaede stepped up. "She told me this before, and I think I believe what she has to say. Just like this young man said, there must be a reason to why these humans wish to kill us. Makoto has been living with humans for a while now. Of course she would understand them."  
>More chatter followed after Kai and Kaede spoke, though Makoto was having a hard time trying to figure out what they were saying.<p>

"I also agree!" Kenji spoke. "It makes sense!"

Suddenly, a random demon from the crowd stood up. "I agree with her too! I agreed with her the moment that she spoke about it, but I didn't want to admit it and go against the others. Who is with me?" he asked, looking about the others.

"Me too!" another demon piped up. "I'll go along with her!"

"I'm with our Demon King! She is our Demon King, after all!" another one yelled out.

After that, more and more demons began to admit that they agreed to the idea but were afraid that everyone would think that they were crazy for admitting to it. There were a few that didn't actually agree, but they would adjust eventually, Makoto figured. A smile grew on her face as she realized she was a step closer to achieving her ideals. This was only the beginning of her reign and triumph. Soon enough, she would be living in a world with humans, one where there was no fighting between the two species.

"Great! Now that we've had our ideal set, we must make orders! First of all, I want to assign myself three guards that will look over me and prevent anyone from snatching The Orb of the Demon Kings, or if anyone tries to kill me, just in case. I can fight for myself, but it would be nice if I could have some demons looking over me." She looked about the crowd of demons, scratching her head as she did so. "Hm… I wonder… who should I pick to be the guards?"

Before she could say anything, a voice spoke up. "Makoto, I will!" It was Kai. He had a determined look in his eyes, one that she didn't expect to see from him. "When you disappeared, I took it upon myself to train. I learned how to be strong, and I'm quite good at punching and kicking or any other kind of moves. I want to protect you after that incident, Makoto!"

Makoto grinned at him. Just that look in his eyes told her that he was serious about the whole thing. She didn't know how strong she had grown, but he had certainly gotten better. All she needed to see to confirm that was him standing right there before her, a look in his eyes that could only be described as one that was filled with power. He certainly looked like he was up for the task.

"All right then, that's one! Kai will be my first guard. Now let's see…" she looked around the demons, pondering. She knew several of them from before, but she wasn't confident on their fighting skills. However, she did know one that was a very, very good fighter. "How about you, Kaede? You were really good when you were fighting Chiharu, and it looks like you would be a good guard as well."

Kaede looked shocked for a little, but that died down. "Me?" She looked about. "Well, I suppose I cannot refuse the orders of the great Makoto. I'll be glad to be your second guard."

That was two. She needed one more. Who else could fight? She looked towards Kenji. She had seen him fight when the orb controlled him, and he was very strong, though the fact that he was being controlled may have contributed to that. _Well, that doesn't make sense. He was just being mind-controlled. His strength didn't change, but his sanity sure did take a dip. _"Kenji, you will be my third guard," she informed him, not even bothering to ask him if such was okay. She was the king now, after all. He had to obey her, just like how Kaede couldn't refuse when she requested her to be one of her guards.

Kenji dipped his head in respect. "Of course! Anything for the one who saved me from that horrid man!"

She smiled. That was three, and that meant that that issue had been settled. Kenji, Kaede, and Kai would be her guards from now on. Now that the subject of the guards was over, she needed to think about more important matters. She needed to find some way to get the demons food, especially since there were so many that were too small and skinny for their age. Looking to Kai, she cringed. That boy shouldn't be smaller than she was. She was the same height as him when she had last seen him, after all. However, that wasn't the issue. Where would she get food? Demons ate humans. A single human could do for several demons, due to the size of them. But the point here was to make humans and demons live together, but how was that possible when demons needed to kill humans to survive?

The fact that demons were scared of humans and therefore killed them was not only the issue here. If demons needed humans to grow and prosper, some of them needed to die.

She recalled what she had thought before she had stolen The Orb of the Demon Kings from the man. She had said to herself that a few sacrifices needed to be made, and this was the case here, too. More than a few demons needed to die for ideals. They weren't perfect, but there was no solution otherwise. The humans would understand… right? "I'm going to assign a hunting squad! Every day, I want you to bring back at least two humans dead, which will be fed to me and my guards, as well as several other demons. However, before you go human hunting, I wish for the hunters to try to find as many animals as they can and kill them first. If there are enough animals, then do not kill any humans. I know I said we are working towards a world for both humans and demons, but sacrifices needed to be made. So who here is a good hunter?"

"I am!" a demon with fiery red hair and crooked white horns cried out as she stepped forward. "I've killed many humans before, and I got really close to murdering that human who was killing off all the demons! I'll be able to hunt for sure!"

Glancing at her, Makoto realized she was one of the demons that was taller than her, and she looked overall more healthy and well fed. That was enough for her to know that this demon was not lying when she said that she was a good hunter. "Good, you will be in charge of the hunting. Your name?"  
>"Asuka," the demon responded. "And I would like to suggest my friend over here. His name is Naoki. He helps me with the hunt."<p>

The demon beside her, Naoki, nodded. "I can take down humans just as well."

He too was tall, much taller than Makoto herself and quite a bit above Asuka's height. He also looked to be at a normal health and well fed, so Makoto decided to let him in. "All right then. Asuka, Naoki, you two will be the heads of the hunting. Please recruit other demons to help you, and be careful that no one dies. It may not be able to be helped, but I want to avoid as much death as possible."

"Of course. Do you want us to begin?" asked Asuka.

"Yes. Go off and find the others, then begin the hunt at once!" she ordered her.

Asuka nodded and then turned to Naoki. "Let's go, Naoki!"

"Yes!"

The two demons scurried off into the crowd to try to find other demons that may be willing, or perhaps convince a few to join. They would need a large amount of demons in order to fight off a bunch of humans. Makoto gulped at the idea of having to kill the humans, and how it would affect her ideal. But whatever the case was, the demons needed to have food and be strong, and there was no way she could do that without someone getting hurt. Besides, when she explained everything to the humans, they would understand.

Wouldn't they?

**~~~~X~~~~**

Since Makoto had come into power, things had been better for the demons. Makoto was now sitting on a large rock, the same one that she had climbed on when she was with Kai. A patch of light shone on her, reflecting her status as king. In front of her were Kai, Kaede, and Kenji, who spent almost all their day guarding the king. Even though it was a boring job, none of them minded it in the slightest. They were highly respected for being so close to the one that ruled all of the demons, after all.

Near the rock stood a large amount of demons who were chowing down on food. Makoto had set up a system for eating. They would kill a bunch of humans, and then after a while, they would all come together and eat. Now was one of those times where the demons got to eat all the human meat that they wished for. The guards, along with Asuka and Naoki had already eaten. Asuka and Naoki were out with a bunch of other demons to get a few more humans to add to the pile, so they were among the few demons who weren't eating.

The demons were only allowed a limited amount of meat. There wasn't enough to feed everyone, even with the small amount they got, so Makoto had set up a rule for the amount of meat each demon could take. Even though it was small, it was enough to cause a few demons to grow and gain the nutrients they needed quite badly.

Makoto, however, would only eat the animal meat. There was just something strange about eating humans now. She found herself unable to eat one, even if a dead one was put right in front of her face. Deep down inside, she knew that it was going against her ideal. But she had to convince herself that it was needed so that she didn't cancel the idea of feeding demons all together.

_Sacrifices must be made. Sacrifices must be made…_

She would repeat that in her head for days on end whenever she saw a human getting eaten. Even after convincing herself, there was still this tiny amount of doubt in her mind…

Demons now respected humans. They understood them, but that didn't mean that humans understood demons. They were still working on that. Makoto planned to go and visit the human world in a few days and announce her ideals, but right now, she was focusing on structure. Sure, she had been king for a good deal of time, but that wasn't what mattered.

Suddenly, Asuka and Naoki returned, a few demons behind them. A few of the demons that came with them were dragging behind the dead bodies of three demons, each of them wearing a solemn look on their face.

It startled Makoto, to say the least. This was the first time that they had arrived with any dead demons.

"Asuka? Naoki? What happened?" she asked the two of them.

"The humans are getting hostile with the number of killings increased. They managed to take down these three," Naoki explained as he pointed to the three corpses. The other demons were busy hiding them by throwing leaves and dirt on them. "I got _this_ close to having my head cut straight off by some madman."

Asuka sighed. "He really was. That man got close to slashing my arm clean off, too." She held it up in the air so that Makoto could see. There was a clean wound going through her shoulder, but it had begun to heal. "We got one human, but we had to scramble out of there without the body. It would be too risky."

Makoto sighed. It appeared that things were beginning to get a little shaky with the humans around. They were beginning to grow resistant to their attacks and their need for food. Did they understand that the demons needed it for food, and they weren't killing just to be violent? Perhaps she should go over there and give them a good talk. She had been planning on doing that a few days from now, but with the new situation at hand, she had to reconsider things. If she explained to the humans her ideals and why she was ordering all the demons to kill the humans, then they would be able to understand her. Besides, it was a step forward in the world where humans and demons could live together.

She pictured it in her mind. They would share the houses and the forest, and they would be able to chat together without thinking about killing each other. There would be no more pointless murders, and everyone would understand everyone. It would be a perfect world for both humans and demons.

"I'll talk to them," she decided. "I'll come with you on your next hunt. Kai, if you would come with Asuka and Naoki on their next hunt with me tomorrow, I would be grateful. In the mean time, Kaede and Kenji will have the orders to look over the place and make sure all the demons are getting along. I think that things will work out nicely."

Asuka blinked at her. "Where will we hunt, though? We need to find a space where we can attract all the humans."

"The Furude Shrine. It's that great shrine in the middle of the village that everyone goes to. If we sneak there, we can stand up there and I'll announce things to them. If it's possible, you can try to catch a human or two, but not during my announcement. It will be after my announcement," she told them both, her mind set on this idea. "This is now the official plan."

"I insist that I come along with you," Kaede spoke as she looked at her master. Over time, Kaede had grown to become completely acceptant of Makoto as her leader. She was someone she understood quite well, and they had grown very close as guard and king. "It is fine if you don't wish me to, but allow me to at least suggest this…"

"No, it's fine, Kaede. Stay back with Kenji. I trust Kai. That aside, I have Asuka and Naoki just in case things go wrong," she told her, causing Kaede to dip her head and drop the idea of helping her king.

Things were now set in stone. She would come over to talk to the humans tomorrow, and then she could explain how things were, and why they shouldn't be hostile towards them. It was a perfect plan. Her ideal would be achieved in no time, and then they could live in peace forever after. There wouldn't be another pointless death, nor would there be another pointless battle.

Yes, things were growing closer towards what she wished for.

**~~~~X~~~~**

The next day, things went exactly as Makoto planned in the beginning. She was now behind the Furude Shrine, and she had begun to walk around the area so that she was positioned in front of everyone else. Asuka, Naoki, Kai, and all the other demon hunters were at her side, murmuring to each other about how they thought everything was going to go. She wanted to announce her presence as soon as she got there, and hopefully attract the attention of every demon in Onigafuchi.

She flashed back to the scene where she had stood in front of every demon and explained her ideals to them, and how accepting they had been about them after some conversing. Hopefully it would be the same with humans. She wasn't sure how they would react, but after explaining things to them, it should make sense to them. She grasped onto The Orb of the Demon Kings. She didn't need it, of course, but the part about Hachirou dropping the orb and then no one wanting to listen to him began to scare her. Would the demons turn on her if it was dropped? She didn't know, and she didn't want to find out.

Poking her head out, she saw that many people were gathered in front of the Furude Shrine. She grinned to herself. Things would be easy like this.

"Asuka, Naoki, Kai. Stand beside me as I make the announcement. The rest of you, stand behind me."

They all nodded, and Makoto took that as a sign to begin.

She jumped in front of the Furude Shrine, and when people didn't notice her, she bellowed out to the world. "Every human, I demand your attention!" she screamed out.

Everyone turned to her, shock filling people's eye as they noticed that there was a group of demons before them. A few of them looked horrified, and some of them angry at the sight of demons before them. Had they come to attack?

"Do not attack! Allow me to speak before you attack! I promise you that I mean no harm to any of you! Gather up the rest of the villagers before I speak to you about anything. I see a great deal of you are here, but that is not enough." She looked from human to human, some of them too shocked to move. There were a few men she recognized as being the men that tried to kill her when she first set foot into the village who looked about ready to attack despite what she had ordered.

Kai growled, about ready to step in front of his best friend. He was loyal to her, and he would obey her no matter what, with or without The Orb of the Demon Kings. The moment he saw people staring at her as if they wanted to kill her was the moment a large flame of anger ignited in his heart. How dare they look at her like that?

But they did not attack. They were interested in what this demon had to say, even if they thought it couldn't be any good.

After a while, more and more villagers came, reminding Makoto of the time where she declared herself as the Demon King. She clutched the orb a little tighter at the thought. Would this be similar, too? Would they need some convincing before they accepted it? Most likely. Actually, that was almost certain, but she would convince them after a little bit of talking, like how the demons didn't want to accept it at first.

When enough villagers were there, she began. "Dear villagers who just came, I wish to inform you that I have no intention of killing any of you or causing harm. All I want you to do for now is to listen to what I have to say, and then you can make your judgments. All I want you to know is that I want you to consider everything I say, and I do not want you to reject it right away. I have what I want to do set in mind right now, and I promise you that it is not evil and that you will understand with a little thinking," she announced to all of them.

The villagers were curious. What did a demon want to do to them? They weren't sure, but that would be answered soon.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Demon King, Makoto. I rule over every single demon in all of Onigafuchi, and I am currently searching for the completion of an idea I came up with a while ago." She paused for a brief moment to catch the reactions of everyone. Several people were still angry at the demon for being there, and quite a few of them looked horrified. "When my mother died, I spent some time here under the care of a human who will remain unnamed. She taught me many things about you guys, and that's why I know you all very well. I know what humans think like. That's why I've set up a plan, one that you will all listen to now."

"When I was here, I realized something. You humans are not different from us demons in anything other than species. We think like you, we act like you, and we even have similar ideas. What I found out is that you are under the impression that we are evil creatures who are killing you all for no reason. I would like to let you know that us demons felt the same way about you. We were scared of you. We attacked because we didn't want to die at the hands of the monsterous creature that was called human. You will for the same reason. We also kill because all we wish for is food, so you must understand that. Do you see what I am trying to say? We are not at all different. We just don't understand each other." Makoto eyed the crowd, hoping that they understood what she was talking about.

"And that's why I want to fix things. I want to create a world where humans and demons can live in peace. I want to put a stop to this pointless war and these attacks. There's no reason for us to hate each other when all the problem is is that we misunderstand each other." She breathed a few times after talking so much. Would they understand her? "Please think about what I said and do not reject this right away. It makes sense. Also, do not get mad at us for killing you humans. We are simply trying to feed ourselves. We can't go hungry! You get it, right? Do you understand it? Accept the fact that we need a few humans to be fed to us and move on. It's fine if it's just a few."

There was silence from the crowd for a little while. No one dared to say a thing.

Makoto breathed as she looked from the humans to the demons at her side. What were they thinking?

Suddenly, a human walked up to the Furude Shrine. He was carrying a sword, seeing as he was one of the humans who had been guarding the forest to make sure no demons got close. Makoto blinked at him as he ascended, then stopping in front of her.

"A world with humans and demons, hm?" he repeated.

"Yes. That is the idea. We are not different from you. I spoke to all my demons and they agreed with me. All I need now is your cooperation," she told the man.

He glanced to the orb in her hand. "Is that The Orb of the Demon Kings? Takashi had it before. It can bind itself to the soul of a single demon and allows the holder to control it. You took it?" he asked.

Makoto nodded at him. "This is the orb that makes me king. I promise you that I did not use it to manipulate anyone. They all agreed to it on their own," she spoke to him.

The man closed his eyes for a moment, looking like he was in deep thought. After a moment, he opened them, then looking at the demon with a determined expression on his face. "All right then. I've considered it, and I have made up my mind."

Makoto's eyes grew wide; hope filling her as she realized she may be a step closer to getting her ideal. "Have you?"

"Yes. Allow me to tell you what it is," the man spoke. The next thing Makoto knew, the man had raised that sword way up in the air and held it above her head, and before she could even react, the sword was brought down.

But the sword did not slash through her.

"…Naoki!" she cried out, noticing that the demon had stepped in front of her and taken the blow for her. Within a matter of seconds, the demon had fallen to the floor with a hollow thud, his body then tumbling down the steps. She blinked in surprise and horror as she looked at the body, and then slowly up at the man.

"No. The answer is no. I know you demons well enough. This is all a trick!" he yelled out as he positioned the sword once again. He attempted to slash through Makoto again, though this time she managed to jump out of the way. The demons behind her growled at the man, one of them moving to pounce on him. The man threw the demon to the side and slashed his stomach open with a sword, causing him to fall to the ground. He wasn't dead, but that didn't mean that he could move.

Makoto blinked in surprise at him. "_What_? Did you even consider what I told you?" she asked him.

"Of course I did. For a few seconds. I know that this is just your way of finding a way to massacre all of our kind." He positioned the sword at his side, the hilt dripping with blood. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the head of this village, Kimiyoshi Koichi. Just like you are the Demon King, I am the one who looks over and rules the humans. I think I speak of all of my kind when I say that I am not going to accept you."

The humans all nodded.

"As if we would listen to her!" screamed a human

"Those damn demons ate my father!" another one yelled out.

"Yeah, just go ahead and kill her before she gets to anyone else!" cried a random human.

Makoto felt fear grow within her. They weren't even listening to what she had to say! This Koichi guy… he said he had only thought about it for a few seconds before deciding that he wouldn't comply. That wasn't enough to accept something this big! Of course he turned it down!

Koichi slashed, and the blade managed to injure her quite a bit. She cried out in pain as she stumbled backwards onto one of the demons behind her. She quickly regained her composure, though. She would not let this ideal fail! She had to make sure people understood her!

"Did you listen? I told you that we don't kill because we want to! We have to eat! Don't you understand that a few humans have to be sacrificed? That's a small price to pay for a perfect world like the one I dream of!" she protested.

"If you think that we're fine with a few people dying, then you should really rethink things. Do you really understand humans?" asked Koichi as he took a step forward, holding the sword in his hand.

Makoto's eyes grew wide with that statement. Did she understand humans? Of course she did! But now that she thought about it, would humans mind if they killed a few humans? Yes, yes they would. They were so protective of their people, so if one person died, the murderer would become the enemy of everyone.

"I…" she hesitated. Without thinking, she grasped onto The Orb of the Demon Kings. If she used that orb to force a demon to guard her, then their success rate would be much higher, wouldn't it. "…Asuka, protect me! Kill that man no matter what it takes!" she cried out as she held the orb high. It began to glow as it connected and bonded with Asuka's soul, whose eyes soon turned into a golden color.

Asuka, now under the complete control of the orb, ran up and began to maul Koichi with her claws. She slashed his face, his stomach, everywhere she could think of. However, this didn't last very long. Koichi grabbed his sword with the strength he had and rammed it into Asuka's side. When he did, Makoto caught sight of black blood beginning to cover the hilt of the sword.

_Black blood? How…!_

The Orb of the Demon Kings must have been the reason why Asuka's blood was black. The golden eyes weren't the only thing that the orb changed the color of!

"How gross. Demons like you have black blood, huh? That's fitting for vile creatures like you. I suppose that other one and you are the only exceptions." He turned to the audience. "All of you, attack the demons! Kill them all!"

Makoto hesitated. "Asuka, kill them all!" she ordered her without thinking. Her mind was a mess right now. Her ideal was being crushed right before her very eyes, and everything was becoming a mess. Her demons were going to die right in front of her along with her dreams of a demon and human world.

Asuka ran forward, and much to Makoto's dismay, really did try to kill them all. She jumped behind Koichi and ran towards the innocent humans in the crowd and began to massacre them one by one. She stabbed one in the heart with her arm, and then she proceeded to claw the eyes out of another human. Moving with great speed, she slashed almost every human she could get near here and there, causing them to fall to the floor in pain. While some wounds weren't fatal, they were still enough to render them helpless.

"Really, Makoto? You say you are for protecting us, and then you order a demon to massacre us? Liar," hissed Koichi as he raised his sword, aiming to slash at the Demon King.

Kai tackled into his side, screaming as he kicked and punched the man. "Don't you dare touch Makoto! I am her number one guard, and I have been ordered to protect her! I will stand by her side until death!" he screamed. "DON'T TOUCH MY BEST FRIEND!"

"Kai!" screamed Makoto.

One of the guards appeared with the sword and slashed Asuka's back open. AS Makoto realized it was hopeless and that her orders had caused pain, she detached Asuka's soul from the sword right as she was about to die. She didn't mean it when she said to kill them all! The Orb of the Demon King was really powerful. Asuka did just what she had told it to!

"Kai, don't fight! Get back and alert Kaede and Kenji, and get them to fight! As for the rest of you demons, fight with your life! Attack any human that attacks you!" she screamed out desperately to them. None of them had really moved, as they didn't want to attack the humans, seeing as they knew Makoto didn't want to cause harm to the humans. She bound the orb to the soul of one of the demons, hoping it would help him. That same demon then ran off and began to attack the humans, though again was put to a brutal end with black blood splattering everywhere. She switched from demon to demon, though it ended up with black blood covering the floor each time.

Realizing it was hopeless, she then ran towards Koichi, breaking through her crowd of demons, and punched him right in the gut with brutal strength, causing him to fall backwards down the stairs. She ran towards his fallen body and began to kick it as hard as she could. It was far from being professional, but she didn't even know what she was doing at this point. She just wanted this man to die for ruining her dreams! She needed to live on without this man so that she could continue onwards, hopefully with only minor wounds done to her dream of a prefect world.

Kai pushed his way through the crowd, punching and kicking everyone in his path. He fended off the humans with the swords masterfully. It reminded Makoto of how much he really had changed over time. Before, he had just been a little boy who was scared of everything. Now, he had truly become a man.

Makoto jumped into the crowd and allowed the demons to take the man lying on the floor. Her punches and kicks weren't enough. With a swift movement, she clawed the eyes out of a man wielding a sword who had come to attack. She quickly snatched up the sword and began to swipe at anyone who got close to her. Now that she had a sword, she could do greater damage. She cut into the bodies of all the men who tried to swipe at her, causing them to fall to the ground.

Seeing more men coming as backup, Makoto ran towards them with her sword, slashing it threateningly at anyone who dared to come close to her. Some innocent humans had been hurt by the slashes, and they were now falling to the floor. She looked behind her, where her demons were struggling with Koichi. Those demons had never been very good at hunting in the first place, so against the village leader, it was almost impossible for them to win, even in a group. But for now, Makoto had to put her trust in them. She needed to get out if she wanted to survive!

She ran into the trees, her sword in one hand and the orb in another. She had to live on and see this dream to its end! The images of all the people she had just killed flashed in her mind, but she shook them out. …Sacrifices had to be made… right? Right?

She stopped when a swam of demons came running through the trees, heading towards the crowd of humans. Kaede and Kenji were in the lead, the two of them looking ready to kill. She whipped around and watched as they ran towards the humans and began to massacre them, forgetting about the rule of not killing humans unless food was needed. They had almost completely forgotten about the ideal. She watched as Kaede slashed a guard down to the ground with quick strength, reminding Makoto of the time where she killed Chiharu. That had been so, so long ago…

She remembered the events that had lead up to this dream. There was her mother's death, and then there were the days she spent at Chiharu's house. She remembered how Chiharu had spoken about how humans wish not to be eaten, and she remembered what Chiharu had said about humans attacking only because they didn't want to be killed. There was then Chiharu's death at the hands of Kaede, and then her chasing away the man with The Orb of the Demon Kings and freeing Kenji from its hold. And then, there was her claim as king, and how none of them had believed her at first…

Then there was now, where that dream would all come crashing down to an end.

She didn't want it to die. She had wished for it so much. She had planned it all out, and she was now just going to watch it shrivel into nothing. But there was still a hope if she was still alive, wasn't there? Her eyes remained wide, her breath labored and heavy as fear that became madness filled her. It couldn't all end like this! Not with how hard she worked for it!

Suddenly, she saw Kenji and Kaede being knocked over by a figure, though not killed. The figure was covered in blood and wounds, and was now limping towards her with a sword stained with a mixture of black and red blood. It was none other than Kimiyoshi Koichi, the man who had destroyed her dream in a matter of seconds. It was just that one rejection that had set everything off.

"A world where humans and demons could live together, huh? Not likely. Look behind you. What do you see? Your demons have massacred a great number of my humans. You are the one who is leading them with that orb. I shall put an end to this silly war now." He held the sword high in his hand as he walked towards her, placing the hilt right in front of her stomach. Makoto was too stunned to move. "Get ready to die, Makoto. I shall become the legend of Onigafuchi."

Makoto shrieked as she jumped out of the way, though it was completely useless. That sword had still cut through her stomach, and a great deal of blood was now leaking out of her stomach. She fell backwards onto her back as she felt the amount of blood in her body decrease, and the amount staining the grass below her increase. She struggled to stand up. A wound like this wouldn't kill her, but it would certainly ground her. Dizziness filled her as she collapsed back on the ground, shaking. She had to get up! She had to live on so that she could see her dream become a reality!

Koichi held his sword above her head. If he cut that open, it was sure to kill her. "Any last words, demon?" he asked her.

"Yes," choked Makoto. "I want you to know that this is not the end. Destruction will come to your village in the future. I can just see it."

"And how will it do that, Makoto?" asked Koichi.

"It will happen like this…"

The next few moments were a blur for everyone. Makoto had said something to Koichi, though no one aside from the two of them quite picked up what she _had_ said. Kaede, Kai, and Kenji had burst through the trees when she had finished her words, and the first thing they saw was Koichi's sword cutting down on her, earning a shriek from the Demon King.

"MAKOTO!" screamed Kai as he ran towards her, kneeling down beside her. "Don't die! You can't die!" he screamed out. "I want to see this dream, too! We took down all the guards, so it's okay! I mean, a quarter of the demons are dead, but that aside…! We can continue on. Just don't die!"

Makoto coughed. "…I'm sorry, Kai. You... are my best friend."

Kai blinked in confusion at those words, but when he saw Makoto's eyes begin to close, he realized why she had said that.

"Me too, Makoto. Me too," he whispered to her, grabbing onto her hand.

And with those words, the Demon King Makoto's life faded away.

Kai stood up on too feet, rage burning in his soul as he looked at Koichi, who hadn't done a thing to anyone. He was just enjoying seeing Makoto die. This man had shattered his best friend's dream, and he had killed her. How dare he do such a thing to his Makoto, his best friend? !

"You…" hissed Kai bitterly. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he screamed out, lunging for the man.

But he felt a hand grab his arm and tug him back, where he met the tearful eyes of Kenji and Kaede, who simply shook their heads.

"It's not worth it. He'll just kill you," Kenji told him gently.

"Makoto wants you to live on," Kaede told him. "Trust me…"

While none of them were looking, Koichi bent down to Makoto's body and grasped onto The Orb of the Demon Kings, which Makoto had had a tight grip on, even until the moment she died. This was the first time since she had gained that orb that the tight grip disappeared. Koichi smiled as he gazed at the orb. All demons would obey him if he had that orb.

"Come with me, demons. I'll make a new world, like Makoto wanted. Just watch me."

Koichi walked out of the trees, and then stood in front of the Furude Shrine. The whole place was now painted with red and black everywhere, with corpses of many species scattered about. Kai, Kaede, and Kenji followed reluctantly, tears pouring out of their eyes, but Kai much more so than Kenji and Kaede. They looked open the hold of The Orb of the Demon Kings. Now that he had it, all the demons would have to obey him, even though he was human.

The living demons stared at the orb and gathered around him, enchanted by its golden color.

"All humans and demons! I know there were many deaths of both species, but the number of demons is still quite large! Now that I have The Orb of the Demon Kings, I am the one who controls the demons!" he yelled out to the villagers. "I am going to keep the demons alive, but they will now become the slaves of humans! All demons will become the pets of humans, and they will live under our rule. To start things off, I will divide the demons amongst The Three Great Families. I will receive the most amount of demons, but the rest will be equally split amongst the Furudes and the Sonozakis. Each demon will be stripped of their name and assigned a number, starting with two."

He looked down upon the three demons who used to be Makoto's guard. "Now, these three demons were the most powerful and the most trusted. They will keep their name and become the head demon of one of the great families. I will take my pick first and then the Furudes will decide on which one they want. The Sonozakis get the last one."

He blinked at them as he thought about which demon he should take.

Suddenly, a voice rang out. "You shut up, murderer! There's no way I am going to obey you!" screamed Kai as he stepped forward. "Makoto was my best friend, and I was her loyal guard! I don't care if you have The Orb of the Demon Kings. Nothing like that can make me lose my loyalty to her and switch over to the side of her killer!"

To his surprise, however, Koichi just smiled. "No, Kai, you will obey me," he told him. Suddenly, the orb flashed a golden color as it attached itself to Kai's soul, causing his eyes to turn an unnatural gold. "You will drop your loyalty to Makoto and become loyal to only me, and you will obey everything I say without question. You will also lose all of your emotions, just to make sure you obey."

Kai's eyes lost all emotion in them, and he gave him a single nod. "Yes," he told him emotionlessly. "You are my master, Kimiyoshi Koichi."

Kenji gasped as he turned to his friend. "Kai, snap out of it! Don't listen to him! We're still Makoto's guards, aren't we?" he yelled to him.

Kai eyed him, and Kenji gasped as he saw how barren they were of emotion. "I do not serve Makoto anymore. Kimiyoshi is my true master," he told him.

Kaede shuddered at the sight of Kai so emotionless. He had been a demon full of emotion and one that would serve his best friend no matter what. Now, he was standing there, barren of any emotion and his loyalty for Makoto all but forgotten about. She glared at the orb, realizing how powerful it was. It had changed Kai completely.

"Now, all demons! Obey me! You are now the slaves of humans, and none of you will have emotions from now on, nor will you have names! Now begins a time of a new era, of a new Onigafuchi! Humans, we have conquered the beasts!"

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**I can't believe I finished this all in one day. …It took like, five hours though. I started at 8. It's 12:51 now. To be fair, I did get a little distracted, but those distractions lasted about ten minutes and were never anything. Wow. This took me a long, long time to write. I was going to add more with Kaede and Kenji, but it just didn't fit in. I hope that this is satisfying enough for you. It took me a good while.**

**Now let's talk what Makoto said to Koichi at the end. I'm not not telling you what she said just to be mean, I'm not telling you because it's important to the plot. I was just being mean in GED when I said something like "and then she told her the condition." Well, actually, that was just for more impact at the end when it was revealed… but it was like, a chapter later. Here, it's important you do not know. Seemed out of place, but it is needed for the story.**

**It's Thanksgiving. Well, it was, but it still feels like it to me. It never feels like it's a new day at 12 AM. For those of you in America… how was it? I enjoyed it a little. As I said before, I don't like much of the food, but it was nice to eat a lot and stuff myself for once. So much food. Of course, it's not going to be Thanksgiving when I upload this. I am going to wait until tomorrow or maybe a day for now to get a little ahead. I will be writing tomorrow too, though.**

**Please review! Reviewers can get an action figure of any demon from this story! Or Chiharu, if you want her. Or maybe you want Koichi. That aside… if you point out typos, you can have some Thanksgiving food. Anyone excited for the new Kira OVA? I have already seen it, but I can't wait for subs! I'll bet you they'll come out in two weeks ._.**

** ~Crimso**


	27. Chapter 26: Wounds

**Crimso's Notes:**

**I'm in English class. Again. However! This time, I am not supposed to be doing work. Oh no. I finished that work. I finished the reading! I am now doing THIS work. ….Well, I guess I should be doing homework, but the only thing assigned to me right now is reviewing for the Spanish test that is going to happen in two weeks. I don't need to do that now.**

**Please forgive the low amount of chapters that were posted this weekend. I planned to write at least four over the break. And then… I happened to get very sick, which completely messed those plans up. Why does this always happen to me? Why do I always get sick during breaks and not a school day?**

**Note One: Not much time has gone by since they came to Kaede. It's been about an hour or so.**

**Note Two: Pacing is going to pick up from here.**

**Note Three: I realized that at this rate, this may be longer than GED. I reached 200,000 words last chapter, so we'll see.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Wounds**

"And there's the tale. There's no more to it," Kaede concluded.

Keiichi and Rena both blinked in surprise, finding the tale quite surprising. It was indeed much different than how Koichi had thought it was. Surely during the announcement Makoto made about bringing humans and demons together Koichi was thinking that she was really just lying. How would he have ever known that she was truly serious when she said that she wanted world where humans and demons could live together? It seemed like a ridiculous idea to him.

But Keiichi, personally knowing two demons _and_ having heard the tale from Makoto's side, knew that this ideal was not ridiculous. He would love to have a world where humans and demons could live together. That way, all the suffering demons who spent their lives dying in cages could get outside and live and eat, and Keiichi could allow the twins to be accepted into society. Even though he had allowed them to escape, he still knew that they were restricted from seeing a large amount of people. Mion and Shion knew Keiichi and Rena, but that was about it.

…Well, maybe Shion met someone else during her capture, though. He didn't know about her, but Mion only knew two humans that she genuinely liked.

"Wait a moment, but what did Makoto say to Koichi at the end?" Rena asked the orange-haired demon.

Kaede shook her head. "As I said, those words were only heard between Koichi and Makoto. What I heard from legends was that Makoto spoke of the twins, and then Koichi brought up the topic of the hero destroying them. I did not hear them myself, though." She sighed as she looked off into the distance, memories filling her head. "My head was a mess at that time. My king was about to die, and there was nothing that I could do."

"Oh, okay then," Rena said. "We have an idea of what she said, I guess."

Keiichi nodded to his friend. "As long as we have that."

"I don't know if I believe in the Legend of the Hero, to be honest with you. That's what the village has dubbed it, by the way, Keiichi-kun. It just seems strange. Why twins? Why a hero?" Rena shook her head. "It doesn't make much sense that Koichi just added that on and that's what became the legend."

"The village believes Koichi over Makoto, but it is the opposite for me," Kaede spoke. "This village will fall at the hands of someone. That I am sure of."

Keiichi blinked in surprise at her. Did she really think that Onigafuchi was going to fall? Well, judging by what Makoto said and forgetting what Koichi added on, it really did seem like the village was going to fall down at the hands of the twins spoken of in the legend. _But… the only twins I know about in the village are Mion and Shion. There's no way that those two would kill anyone. They won't bring down the fall of the village! It can't be if that's the case…! There has to be another pair of twins!_

"Rena, do you know any pairs of twins?" Keiichi asked the girl.

Rena glanced at him and opened her mouth, about to comment, but she shut it. After giving a little thought to it, she shook her head. "As far as I know, there aren't any twins in the village."

Well, that was the answer for the human population of Onigafuchi. What if there were two other twin demons that would bring down the curse? What if it wasn't Mion and Shion? Mion and Shion would never bring fall to the village, and they wouldn't cause any violence like that. He knew those two well enough to know that if the legend was speaking of them, it had to be a lie.

"There aren't any twin demons here as far as I know," called Rika's voice from far away. During the time, she had decided to go ahead and get to work on a few cells that needed some cleaning that she hadn't gotten to before. "Well, not in the Furude Storage. I would ask about the Kimiyoshi Storage, but you know what happened. We don't know where the current location of any of the remaining Kimiyoshi demons. They could be anywhere."

"I don't own any demons, so I can't say anything more than what Rika just told us," Rena said to the both of them. "But it does seem strange. Do you know when this downfall will be?"

Kaede shook her head. "But I can see it coming within the next twenty years. Who knows? A pair of twins can be born within that time. I just know it's going to happen. Call it an old demon's instinct." Her lime eyes drifted off into deep memories of the past. "I have had it for a long time now. Rika's friend feels similarly."

"You mean that imaginary friend she was telling me about before?" asked Keiichi, recalling the time that Rika had mentioned her invisible friend to him.

"She is not an imaginary friend!" yelled Rika's voice from somewhere within the storage.

Kaede glanced at Keiichi and Rena. "She's not. She's real."

"Okay, but she says she feels something is coming, too?" Keiichi asked her.

"That's correct."

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard, and they were coming towards their direction. Rika walked in front of both Rena and Keiichi and stood directly in front of Kaede, giving her a rather serious and grim look. Glancing towards the two teenagers briefly, she allowed her expression to soften. "Keiichi, Rena, you just brought up an interesting matter that I just realized I need to talk to Kaede about right now. Alone. I hate to be rude, but if you could…"

"Leave?" finished Rena.

Rika nodded. "It's very important that Kaede and only Kaede hears what I am about to tell her."

Rena and Keiichi looked to each other. There was more that they wished to ask Kaede, but it seemed as if they had no choice but to leave now. They didn't want to be rude and ask Rika if they could spend a few more minutes talking when it was necessary that she talked to her head demon about something important, whatever that was. Besides, they could always come back another time. Now, there was a new mystery in their head, and that was the one about The Legend of the Hero, which he was sure would now be spinning around his mind for the next few days. He had solved a few mysteries, like the one about Makoto's truth, so perhaps it would be possible to find out the truth about this legend.

"Thank you, Kaede," Rena said graciously with a respectful bow. "Keiichi-kun and I really appreciate what you were able to teach us."

Kaede smiled at them. "And thank you for listening to my tale. I am glad that humans can be so understanding of Makoto. What a surprise that was to me…"

"We're very understanding people. Thank you, and goodbye," Rena told her before nudging Keiichi in the stomach and nodding to him.

Keiichi nodded right back at her, and with a final smile at the demon and a quick thank you, he and Rena went back down the aisles of the demon storage. The demons appeared to be calm now, some of them staring at them curiously but not bothering to yell or scream. The demon that had been making a racket before had calmed down and was now fast asleep on the wooden floor. No noise was made aside from the creaking of the wooden door when the two friends exited the storage.

"Well, I think that it's time for us to go back to our own homes. We really did learn some interesting things, though," Keiichi commented as he descended down the steps from the demon storage. "I knew that Koichi couldn't be right when he called Makoto all those things…"

Rena sighed. "We really did find out the truth, huh? But there's still the question of this whole hero thing. The twin thing aside, who is the Hero? I wonder, I wonder…" she asked herself, scratching the top of her head as she searched through her brain for an answer. "It could really be anyone, couldn't it? There wasn't a hint as to who it could be. The twins had the hint of being…well, twins, but the Hero is just the Hero. I think he's supposed to be male, but who knows?"

"I don't know, Rena. I don't know…" sighed Keiichi.

"Well, in any case, I think we need to be heading back. Keiichi-kun, I want you to think hard about this. I will do the same," she told him gently.

"…Wait, Rena. Do you have time? Can you come to my house? I'm going to call the police as soon as I get home. I think it's safe for me to do that now. I'll keep them from going upstairs, and I think everything will be fine." He looked over to her. "I think Mion needs some extra support. She has been alone for the last hour, and her sister is gone. Besides, we may come up with an idea for who the Hero could be, and we can also get to the bottom of this twin thing. I doubt Mion and Shion are going to destroy the village." There was confidence in his voice when he spoke those last words. He knew he was right on that one.

However, Rena just shook her head. "I have to go to Takeru-kun's house. I promised him I would show up today. So for now, please just think about the matter. And besides, I think that Mi-chan needs your comfort over mine." She smiled at him. "I get this feeling that she feels something for you, Keiichi. What that is, I don't know, but the emotions are strong. She has strong emotions, after all. She just doesn't know it."

The image of Mion cuddling up to him last night flashed through his mind, and he suddenly remembered how she felt for him. He loved her, but she loved him back. She just didn't know that that different warm feeling she was feeling was a romantic kind of love, a different kind of love than what she felt for her sister. He just nodded to her, however, and said nothing more on the matter. His mind was still fixed on the image of Mion and him sharing the same futon.

"Well, anyways. I'll see you later," Rena told him with a friendly grin. "I'll certainly be thinking about this when I'm with Takeru-kun."

"All right, see ya."

With that, the two friends went their separate ways. Keiichi faintly remembered how to get back to his house, so he simply followed his instinct as he wandered through the forest, his mind tracing the steps that he had taken to get there. Along the way, he thought about the tale that Makoto had told. What would it be like if she actually succeeded in creating a world where everyone could live together? It would be much, much better. Mion and Shion would be happy in a world like that. They would be able to go outside, eat as much as they want, and they would be treated fairly by the humans, even though they weren't human themselves.

Wait, that wasn't it. If Makoto hadn't died, the Legend of the Hero would have never been spoken off, and the whole rule about killing twins at birth would not be in effect. Mion and Shion would be human in such a world. That would make the world even better. They would be able to live with their family in the Sonozaki Manor instead of in a basement, though Keiichi wasn't sure where the demons would live if they made a world where humans and demons could live together.

Well, whatever the case was, it would still be a perfect world.

He eventually reached his house, thankful that he could trust his instincts on. He gulped as he pulled the door open and entered the house, instantly being greeted by not the smiling faces of his parents, but the bloody mess that remained of them from the night before. He gulped and tried not to look as he walked up the stairs to his room. It appeared as if no one had entered the house, which was very reassuring.

He walked into his room and was instantly met by the sight of Mion sitting in a corner, staring at the bracelet that Keiichi had given her. Just that single fact made Keiichi smile. She really was enjoying the present that he had given her, wasn't she? He walked over to girl and sat right next to her, smiling at her as he did so.

Mion's green eyes caught sight of him at once, and a huge smile broke out across her face. "Kei-chan!" she yelled out, delight in her tone.

Keiichi's smile increased its cheerfulness. "Hello, Mion," he greeted her, his smile changing into a toothy grin. "I hope I didn't leave you alone for too long. I know that things have been a little rough on you."

She froze when he mentioned that, and then after breaking free of the frost seconds later, she looked down at the bracelet on her wrist and nodded. "It wasn't much fun. I miss my sister…" she replied truthfully. "But you had to do a few things, so it couldn't be helped. I didn't get hurt or anything like that, so you don't have to worry…" She pointed to herself. "See? No wounds. No cuts. No blood. I'm fine."

_Stupid._ Keiichi wasn't concerned about her getting physically hurt; he was concerned about her current state of mind. She was probably horribly hurt when she was left all alone without anyone to comfort her for the first time in her life. Even when Shion had gotten lost, he had been by her side. The last hour or so had been the first time that she had ever been there without anyone to comfort her. He could clearly see that she _was_ hurt. It was just that the wounds weren't visible on her body.

"Kei…chan?" Mion spoke as she noticed an uneasy look in his eyes, one that became upset quickly.

"Don't say that you're fine, Mion. I know you're not," he whispered to her. "I'm not fine, either. My parents just died… You know, you can't see the wounds on my body, but there are certainly wounds," he told her gently. "It hurts right here," he explained as he put a hand on his heart. "You can feel it, can't you? In your own heart. Sure, you aren't bleeding, you don't have any cuts, but that doesn't mean that you're not hurt."

Mion copied his movements and placed a hand on her chest curiously. "It does kind of hurt," she whispered. "No, it's not that it just hurts. It stings… But there aren't any cuts…"

Keiichi nodded at her. "That's because there is such thing as pain that isn't physical. It doesn't come in the form of cuts and blood, Mion. It comes in the form of sorrow, and it just hurts. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" he asked her. He wasn't sure if sorrow was an emotion she understood completely, so this lesson was necessary. Besides, she didn't seem to have an understanding of what was going on, judging by what she had said before.

"Well, I guess that's okay. Things that hurt don't hurt anymore if you give them some time, just like how my cuts from yesterday are gone," Mion commented as she let her hand slip from her chest. "I don't think I'm going to feel like this anymore after a while. It'll stop soon. Demons have good healing, after all."

Keiichi bit his lip. No, that wasn't it! Wounds in the heart and wounds on the body couldn't even be compared. They hurt, but that was the extent of their similarities. "No, Mion. That's not it. Wounds like this can't be healed over time; they're different from the wounds on your body. Even if demons have good healing… this one won't heal faster than an emotional wound inflected upon a normal human. Unlike wounds on the body, this one will grow and grow with time. It'll only hurt more."

Mion looked down at her chest, touching her heart gently once again. "…But there has to be a way to heal it, then. I haven't heard of wounds that don't heal over time. They always do…"

Keiichi shook his head. "Not this one."

"But how, then? How do you heal a wound in the mind if it's not done over time?" asked Mion curiously, fear in her green eyes, as well as clear pain. She was suffering. It was all too clear to the boy.

"…You need an opposing emotion to chase the sorrow away. I should have been here to help it heal." He clenched his fists and teeth as he felt frustration grow within him. He hadn't been helping Mion when she needed it the most. He had left her at home. Sure, he had held her last night, but a wound like a missing sister needed more care to heal. He cursed himself for his foolish actions. It was needed to go see Kaede, but Mion was more important.

Without even thinking, he wrapped his arms around Mion and pulled her into a tight hug, which startled her at first. He held her as close as he possibly could, as _hard_ as he possibly could. Tears began to drift down his eyes as he thought about not only her pain, but his pain as well. His wounds hadn't been tended to yet completely, either. There was still a hole in his heart he doubted could ever be healed unless someone was there for him. Someone he truly cared for, someone he truly loved.

Mion relaxed in his embrace and cuddled against him, sighing happily as she did so. "Warm… Kei-chan, you're so warm. Just like last night." She cuddled closer, wrapping her own arms around him as she pressed herself against his body. "But like I said before, you're different from sis. It's similar… but different." She closed her eyes. "Is this warmth the key to healing the wounds, Kei-chan? If so, will you hold me like this forever?"

Keiichi nodded to her. He needed some healing too, after all. In this embrace, they were healing each other with their warmth. Keiichi too was getting a warm feeling, but unlike Mion, he knew what it was. It was pure and undeniable love. He loved the girl in front of him, and it was a wonderful feeling. Holding her like this would perhaps heal him.

He blushed at the thought of her. She was a beautiful young girl, even if she was a demon. The problem, though, was that she didn't know that she was in love with him. They would never be able to get together if she didn't know the meaning of the word love. He wanted to ask her if she knew what love was from what he had told her already, but he was embarrassed. Love was a strong subject, especially for people their age. A lot of people had trouble admitting their feelings for each other, and talking about how much he loved her, and the fact that she loved him, would just be downright embarrassing.

But that's when he remembered something. It was something that Takeru had told him a long time ago. Though it was faded in his mind, Keiichi could remember him telling him that there was no point in hiding feelings, which was why he was so open with Rena. Even though he knew that the flirting and the pick-up lines were going to far, he realized that there was no point in trying to hide it unless he wanted it to be painful. He would be a little less flirty than Takeru, but really, he needed to show affection.

"…Do you know what love is, Mion?" he asked her.

"No, I told you I don't get human emotions like love. I mean, I know what you taught me, but I never learned about love," she spoke, though she did not look up at him or move away. She was too comfortable in the position she was in right now.

Well, of course she didn't. That was just a conversation starter.

"Well, there are two different types of love. There's a normal kind of love, and there's a romantic kind of love," he told her gently as he ran his hands through her green locks of hair just to comfort her a little more. "It's a warm feeling you get inside of you. You see, the first one is the one you get when you're with Shion, and the second is the one you get when you're with me. You know how the warm feelings you get are similar, yet different? That's the emotion you are feeling. Love."

"Romantic?" Mion asked, confused. This time, she pulled herself away from his chest to look into his eyes.

Keiichi nodded. "Romantic and non-romantic. They're both a deep affection for someone, but they are somewhat different." He bit his lip as he tried to figure out how to explain the difference to the girl. "Non-romantic is just regular, and romantic is just… is just… well, it's when you… you're _in_ love with someone. And…" He cursed himself for not being able to figure it out.

"I don't get it, Kei-chan. In love? It's different… how?" she asked him, staring into his blue eyes with her green ones filled up with confusion.

Keiichi let out a sigh. It was worthless now. He placed a hand on her cheek, caressing it gently. "I don't know how to explain it Mion, but I want you to know that I am in love with you. …When you figure out what it is, I want to hear from your own mouth if you love me, too." He told her gently, moving down her hand to touch the bracelet that he gave her gently. He felt fine with saying it, as she didn't know what it meant. If she had been human and knew emotions well, perhaps things would be a lot different. It was easy to tell her such a thing. "Please think about what I told you. Every time you look at this bracelet, I want you to remember what I told you and the feeling you had before when I was holding you."

Mion looked down at her bracelet and nodded.

With a sigh, Keiichi got up. There wasn't much more to say on the matter, and he needed to call the police right away.

"Listen, Mion. I'm going to contact someone and tell them that my parents have been killed. They'll be looking around the house, so please stay up here. They will perhaps be able to find out who that man was, and maybe where Shion is." Mion's attention was grabbed the moment her sister's name was brought up. "I promise you I'll help you a little more later, but this is something that needs to be done if we want to find your sister, and if we want to find out who killed my parents."

"All right, Kei-chan," whispered Mion as she continued to stare at her bracelet.

Keiichi turned to the phone and began to dial the number of the police. He held it to his ear, waiting for a response from them. Hopefully they wouldn't see Mion. Then, he himself would get in trouble, since he technically stole them.

"…Hello, this is the Okinomiya Police Department. Please give us your name and your address."

**~~~~X~~~~**

"…It really is a beautiful day," Takeru commented as he watched the koi in his pond swim about the nice, cool water. To the boy, it almost looked tempting for him to jump right in there. Sure, it was beautiful, but that didn't mean it was hot. It was getting closer and closer to the hotter days of summer, and that meant…

"Takeru, what is your family going to do for the Watanagashi this year?" asked Rena, changing the subject instantly.

He blinked in surprise at the sudden change of topic. "Huh? Oh, we're still working on getting everything prepared. We're usually the ones in charge of the execution, but we're lacking in demons. Besides, we need to find a person for the sacrifice. Our plan is to find the person who stole our demons and then execute them using the two demons they stole," he told Rena.

Rena shuddered at the thought. She knew very well that the thief was Keiichi, and if they ordered Mion and Shion to kill him… then… She didn't want to think about it. Besides, Shion was still missing. What about the man that had been doing the kidnapping and the killing?

"I think a more fitting sacrifice is the kidnapper and the murderer, Takeru," Rena told him.

"That was the original plan. But there's a problem, since we don't have any demons. In order to do the actual Watanagashi ceremony, we're going to need demons. Sure, we borrowed from Kimiyoshi for the last few years, but now the Kimiyoshi demons are gone. Rika doesn't want Yasuo using her demons, but she won't explain why." He sighed and shook his head. "Trust me, Rena, we really want that guy to be the sacrifice, but it's very complicated. I don't have much of a say in it, either. It's going to be tough to take down that guy without many demons. I mean, he got by fifty-one demons and killed eight of them, as well as Kimiyoshi himself."

"But he'll have to be caught eventually," Rena reminded him.

Takeru looked at her. "I know, Rena, I know. I need to speak to my grandmother about the orders for killing that man. She's furious about everything these days. The person who stole those demons, the killer…" he sighed. "Those two demons were her favorites, too. She really dislikes the fact that the man who killed Kimiyoshi has about forty-three demons under his control, and if it's the same person, possibly forty-five and maybe others that he bought." He shook his head quickly. "Man, I hate all this stuff. I don't want to have to deal with the Watanagashi! Thank god that Grandmother has decided to take complete control of the matter."

Rena wasn't really sure what to think. The Watanagashi was never a pleasant ceremony, and everyone was forced to watch it. Sometimes the member of the There Great Families wouldn't come as they were leaders, but a lot of them were forced, too. Most Sonozakis could get out of it since their family was the one that led it, but that was the only exception. _Everyone_ had to watch a man or a woman get his or her stomach torn right out, and their intestines removed.

She wanted to through up as she remembered the ceremony last year. The Sonozakis had caught some man who had snuck into the Sonozaki Manor, wishing to murder Oryou, and they were not very kind to him during the ceremony.

They usually had some Sonozaki member come up and make a huge speech about the history of Onigafuchi, and then after that was over, they would present the sacrifice and what they did. They would be on the restraining board the whole speech, but their name and crime would not be stated. It was essentially a more organized and more fancy execution. During the speech about the crime, the Sonozaki member that had been selected to speak was not at all kind. He was one of Takeru's uncles, and he had the job of guarding Oryou. Naturally, he was selected for the speech.

"Who is going this year? For the speech," Rena asked him.

"I think Yasuo, but we'll see, " Takeru responded.

Rena nodded and went back to her thoughts. Yasuo or whoever it was would definitely not be kind to the kidnapper, the murderer, or Keiichi if they found out that he had stolen Mion and Shion. She could imagine what kind of horrible speech that they would give about all three of them. But what disturbed her the most was how the little kids were going to react. Satoshi and Rika would protect Satoko, but all of the other little kids had to watch as some person was brutally sacrificed right in front of their own eyes.

The adults never really got used to it, either. It was always a gruesome experience for them, too. No one liked to see someone get murdered in such a way, even if they had done a bad thing. Sometimes, it was just a person who had committed a minor offense right before the festival, as a lot of thieves tended to avoid big crimes around the time of the festival. That made it even more painful to watch. The person who was being killed was never the only one that was screaming in agony.

"I don't like the Watanagashi, Takeru-kun," Rena told him. "I want it to be a happy festival, and not one filled with horror and blood."

"No one likes it, Rena. I want the same thing. Besides," he turned to her, a smile on his face. "I would love to have a romantic festival where we could spend the whole time in each other's arms. I would hold your hand and you would hold mine as we walked through the festival grounds, murmuring romantic words to each other and telling each other how much the other meant…" He grinned at the thought. "Wouldn't that be fun, Rena? You would enjoy what I had to say about you. Of course, there's not much else to say. I think I've told you many times how beautiful and wonderful you are."

"Hau… You're embarrassing Rena, Takeru-kun…" Rena responded, embarrassed. Even if she didn't feel the same way, his compliments still flattered her. She didn't agree to the idea of being all romantic, but the compliment he had given her was nice, even if he had told her it about a billion times before. It was nice to hear such words from him. Everyone liked to be told that they were beautiful or handsome, and that they were wonderful.

He grinned. "Well, you would like it, wouldn't you? I think I would enjoy it much more than watching someone die, that's for sure!" he said half-jokingly.

Well, it would be better than watching someone die in a brutal way. Ripping out someone's intestines and then drifting them down the river was just too much. She recalled the screams last year, and the clear images of hot bags of intestines being torn out by the chosen demon's bare hands… and then the smirk of satisfaction that was on the speaker's face. Not all of them would be glad to be up there, giving the speech, but some of them were. And to the man last year, it was rewarding to see the man who tried to kill Oryou die in a brutal way.

It sure satisfied Oryou, too. Well, she would assume so, anyways. She wasn't watching her face. She would always sit up in a chair at the "stage" of the ceremony and would listen to the speech they gave, though Rena didn't know if she ever looked at the people that were being killed. If Rena were her, she would take the opportunity to look away. Then again, if she did, she wouldn't even need to bother with the "festival" in the first place.

Satoko was very lucky to have an older brother to shield her. No one ever covered _her _eyes when she was a little girl.

"I'm glad that you like my compliments, Rena!" cried Takeru as he patted his girlfriend on the back. "You know, I'm glad that it's all worth it. A lot of girls would just brush me off as lying, but you aren't like that, Rena. You know that I mean every word when I say that I love you and that you're a brilliant and beautiful person. Other girls would probably bash me on the head and tell me to stop fooling around."

Well, Takeru's feelings were too strong to seem fake to the girl, so it was no surprise in her mind that she accepted his compliments. She knew he loved her, it was too obvious even before the two started to date. He would flirt with her all the time, but that flirting had been turned into real compliments since they had begun dating.

_But I still don't love him._

She had thought she would grow to love him, but it wasn't working.

She looked over to Takeru, a sad smile on her face. No, she definitely would grow to love him. She just needed to give it a little time.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2: Super Long Edition (Again, I'm afraid.)**

…**Look! It's Tuesday, guys! Tuesday! Man, I felt so bad for not uploading as much as I wanted to, so I decided to take my least busy day and write as much as I could. Sure, nothing much happened, and it was short compared to the last few chapters that were written, but still. This chapter I believe with raise a few questions in your mind, so I decided to leave it at this. I realize now that we were much further along in GED at this chapter, but I guess things didn't work out like that in BFB. I planned to be almost done with this fanfiction at this point! …Just like how GED was going to be 15-20 chapters. Well, nothing ever turns out as planned. Hopefully the next chapter will move this story a long a little further. **

**I hope that this doesn't reach 40+ chapters. That would be awful. Plus, I need to write WAN this year, too.**

**Let's talk school. Did I mention to you about how I didn't get my math and that I had a test? Yeah, I took it, and I didn't know what I was doing. My teacher noticed this and had me do the whole thing over next to him, but… he essentially gave all the answers away, so I just got an unfair A. He literally looked over at what I was doing and gave me hints, and then pointed out whenever I made a mistake. I figured a lot of things out, though. Those were large hints, though. Well, I guess other subjects have been okay. I had History for the first time in like… eleven days. It got cut from the schedule due to other activities plus Thanksgiving break, so. Things have been kind of sorrowful around school today. The Spanish teacher who was going to teach us this year died this morning at the hospital, and they pulled us out of the beginning of science class to talk about it with the whole High and Middle School. Things were silent all day. I didn't know her, but I feel really bad. My sister had her… I don't know what to say to her. She was a very nice teacher, apparently. My current teacher was supposed to replace her until she got better, but that never happened, so I guess I just have him for the rest of the year.**

…**So a lot has been happening, as you can see. I'm working on grade, the community has been a little hectic… as you can see.**

**Now, this is the part you have all been predicting. Yeah, the part where I tell you all to review. You really should. People who review will get another puppy or a kitten. My grandparents just got a new puppy, actually. I didn't know that their other dog died. I don't know why I didn't know, either. Their other dog died before I went on the road trip to see them. Sigh. That aside, if you point out typos or any errors, you can get a free soda. If you don't like soda, have a milkshake. If you don't like that, have any kind of drink. Also, I WILL give you an extra of anything if you add a prediction, since this chapter brought up a lot. At least it did in my mind. **

**~Crimso**

**P.S: I changed my avatar. Like it? It's low quality for now.**


	28. Chapter 27: Investigation

**Crimso's Notes:**

**Okay, so my plan is to pick up the pace with the chapter uploading, hence why I'm writing this at 11:43 PM on a Wednesday night. My plan is also to have this fanfiction DONE by early January, which will be completely possible with Winter Break just around the corner. We have off on Thursday and Friday next week due to parent teacher conferences, so hopefully I can get several chapters done over the four-day break! That's almost as long as I had off for Thanksgiving break. By the way, WAN will be uploaded a week or two after BFB, perhaps late January or early February depending on the time this fanfiction is completed. WISH ME LUCK!**

**Note One: WE ARE REACHING THE FINAL STAGES. Do note that many, many things will go on, and I plan to limit the number of chapters without much going on. **

**Note Two: Once again, things will get more intense from here on out.**

**P.S: Anyone find it funny that it's Chapter Twenty-Seven? You know, like Number Twenty-Seven.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Investigation**

"Huh? A demon named Shion?" Kaede spoke in surprise as she listened to the words of her master.

Rika nodded to her head demon. "That's right. The other day, Satoshi found a young demon passed out on the floor. She's a Sonozaki demon, Sonozaki demon Number Twenty-Eight to be exact. However, when I called her that, she insisted that her name was Shion and not Number Twenty-Eight. She was very strict about that, too. She had this look in her eye, and she was very serious about the matter," she explained to her.

Kaede looked very curious. "How strange. I believed that Oryou had killed off all Sonozaki demons during her wrath. Why would they spare her of all demons?" she wondered.

"Listen, Kaede. Do you know who Sonozaki Akane is?" she asked.

"Of course I know who she is. She used to be the heiress, but then was disinherited because she had married someone that her mother, Oryou, did not wish her to." She looked a little confused as to why her master would ask her that, though. "She has one child, his name is Takeru, and he's the heir right now. I heard a story about her having twins, but they were killed due to The Legend of the Hero."

Well, it looked like Kaede knew most of the details, so that left Rika with very little explaining to do. "Kaede, when I walked in the room, she told me that she had gotten separated from her sister when they were escaping someone who was going to capture the two of them. She asked me to look out for her sister and let her know if I found her, so I asked her what her sister looked like. She then explained to me that I should look out for a demon who looks exactly like her in every way, since she is her identical twin," she told her in a very serious and stern voice.

Kaede instantly picked up on the implications. "So… they're the twins that are going to cause destruction."

Rika looked down at her feet. "I'm not sure, Kaede. She seemed like a nice demon, unlike most of the demons that I know. Listen, when she was speaking about her sister, she sounded very sad about the whole thing. No, that's not even it. She was absolutely _heartbroken_. She missed her sister so much. Kaede, I don't know if she's evil."

Kaede sighed. "Are you sure about that, Rika? The legend did say that the twins would bring the downfall of the village, and I have this strong sense that it's going to happen very, very, very soon. I explained this to Rena and Keiichi when they came, too."

"I feel the same way, Kaede." Rika suddenly turned to the right of her. "…You feel the same way, don't you, Hanyuu? You told me that you sensed the downfall coming soon.."

Silence filled the room.

"She said that she does feel it coming, Kaede. I'm sure everyone can feel the downfall of Onigafuchi coming. But that's not the point right now, Kaede. Listen, I know they're the only pair of twins in the village, but I trust Shion. There was just something about her that seemed trustworthy. I know it's what the legend said, but maybe there are other twins in this village that we don't know of. A lot of demons are siblings but are unaware of that. There could be a set of fraternal twins among them, though I know for a fact that none are identical aside from Shion and her sister." She sighed as she looked away. "I have a feeling that the legend is wrong."

Kaede narrowed her eyes. "I trust what Makoto said."

"But how do you know what Makoto really said? What if Koichi made it up?" Rika pointed out. "He said all those horrible things about her, after all."

Kaede closed her mouth and thought about that for a few minutes, and the room was silent. There was some stirring from the cages, but that was about it.

"Perhaps you're right, but I don't want to jump to conclusions right now. For now, I think you and your friend should keep a close eye on her," Kaede suggested. "But you don't have to, since I am in no position to order my master around. But it is a suggestion. The legend may be right. She could be evil wearing a mask of a heartbroken demon searching for her sister, who may be equally as evil. They are Sonozaki Akane's daughters, yes? You mentioned her, so it would be strange otherwise."

"Yes, they are," Rika answered right away. "They were kept alive without her knowing about them, though the two of them were turned into demons the moment they were taken away from their mother. She never even got to glance at either of them. But their mother is still unaware of their existence, and the Sonozaki family has kept them locked up so that no one will ever find out about their existence. Why they want to hide them from her is something I don't know, but there may be a reason relating to The Legend of the Hero. I'll certainly keep an eye on her, and if I ever find her sister, I will keep an eye on her too."

"All right, master. Just don't forget… the downfall of Onigafuchi is right around the corner."

**~~~~X~~~~**

When Rika returned home, the first thing that she spotted was Shion sitting right in front of the window, her hand on it as she gazed out at the world before her. It was covered in trees, but the sight was still interesting to the girl who hadn't spent much of her life outside before, or so Rika figured. Anything could be interesting when you hadn't seen anything aside from the darkness of a basement all your life.

But Rika was wrong when she assumed that. Sure, Shion was interested in the outside world for that same reason all right, but she wasn't even thinking about how beautiful it was outside, or how the trees looked in her eyes. She was scanning the ground, wondering if her sister was anywhere nearby. Was she free? Had she been captured? She didn't know, and the thought scared her. The idea that she could be trapped up without her was horrifying, and she wondered how her sister would cope to being without her.

She hadn't adjusted very well. Last night was a sleepless night, and though Shion was tired, she couldn't bring herself to sleep even now. There was warmth in the room, but what she was looking for was the warmth that her sister gave off whenever she was nearby. It was now just an empty void, and the absence of that warmth was freezing her to death. Even if it was the summer, it was still just plain cold.

She didn't know what she would do if she found out her sister had been captured by that man who had tried to kill them the night before. He was assumed to be the same person as the one that killed Kimiyoshi, and that man easily killed eight demons. Her sister claimed she could fight off anyone, but was that true when it came to a huge, hulking man with the strength of a wild beast? She knew that the head of the family would probably want her alive, so that death was unlikely, though it seemed better to the girl than to be locked up all alone with no warmth.

Shion shuddered at the thought. That basement was only bearable because of the warmth that her sister gave her by being by her side. When that warmth was taken away, the whole place became completely unbearable and the thought of being there made her want to kill herself. No one would want to live in such a cold, cruel place without any warmth to make it better.

Maybe her sister had been captured, and maybe she had even killed herself…

She bit her lip as she thought about that, and tried to chase such a thought out of her head. She tried to reassure herself that Keiichi had probably found her and that they were both okay, and that they were now searching for her. Would they find her, ever? She sure hoped that she would be able to meet her sister sometime again. That boy, Satoshi, had promised that he would go look for her sister and let her know if they found her. With that hope in mind, she decided it was highly possible that they would meet again.

Well, that may not be soon, but at least it was again, right? And at that time, hopefully her sister would be safe and sound, cuddled up on the futon back at Keiichi's house, even if it was alone.

_Sis, hurry up and find me. I miss you…_

With that thought in mind, she wondered how Keiichi himself was doing. Was he with her sister now? Was he all alone? She didn't know how he lived his life before, but he had his parents before. From what she could grasp form the idea of parents, they were supposed to be kind, and they were supposed to "love" their child, whatever that meant. He was probably sad now that he didn't have his parents with him. She had to wonder if Keiichi got a warm feeling from being around his parents, and if she would get a warm feeling when she was around hers…

If she ever met them, that was.

"Hello, Shion," Rika greeted as she began to tidy up her futon, placing her pillow back to the normal position and brushing out the wrinkles in the fabric. "Enjoying the view of the outside world?"

Shion glanced at the trees. Well, she had seen a lot of trees recently, and she found that she had quickly gotten used to the trees around her, as well as the outside. There was a lot more to be explored, but trees were now something that she was used to. Running through the forest in the middle of the night sure helped that. "I guess it's okay," she commented as she looked down at the green grass and the small flowers around the trees, the latter being much more interesting than the rest of the world that she could see. "I have seen a lot of trees since I escaped the Sonozaki basement."

"Trees are everywhere in Onigafuchi, so I don't blame you. I figured it would be a little more interesting to you, since you haven't been outside all your life up until recently," Rika commented as she finished her work on her futon. She stood in front of it and admired how neat it was. "I guess there are more interesting things to you outside, though. I personally love the little flowers! Satoko and I planted a few seeds when we were smaller, and they've been blossoming into pretty plants!" she said.

Shion turned to her. "Plant seeds?" The action was not familiar to the girl.

Rika nodded to her. "Yeah, planting seeds. Flowers produce little seeds and when you bury them and give them the right amount of water and sunlight, they turn into a beautiful flower or any other kind of plant, depending on where the seed came from. Like if I were to plant a seed from a pink flower, it would grow another pink flower," she explained to the girl. Rika wandered over to the window and looked out of it, seeing if she could spot any flowers. "You see? Over there. Those are the blue flowers Satoko and I planted."

Shion looked over to where she was pointing to and was instantly captivated by the color of those flowers. Nowhere in the basement had such a vibrant blue color, and even the plants at Keiichi's house weren't such a color. It was a new color to the girl. The only colors she had known in the basement were black, gray, and brown, as well as the green of her sister's hair, which was much more of a pretty color than anything else in there. This blue was new and exciting.

"I like the color," she commented.

"That's why we planted them, because we like the color. Satoshi helped a little, but he picked the orange colors instead. You see over there?" Rika pointed to a patch of orange flowers just barely visible from the window. "He was the one who took care of those flowers, and he's still working to keep them alive. If you don't give them enough water, they will become thirsty and dry up. They also need enough sunlight. Plants, unlike humans and demons, need sunlight to produce food. I'm not a terribly wonderful science student, but plants undergo something called photosynthesis that converts sunlight into food for the plants! That's how they eat!"

Shion found this very intriguing. All plants needed was sunlight, and then they would never get hungry. She wondered to herself how things would be if she had the ability to do photosynthesis. Her hair was green like a lot of plants, after all. Then again, the basement was dark, so it wouldn't be any different, even if she could do such a thing. Besides, she was a demon and could not do photosynthesis, so it didn't even matter. Then she wondered why she had thought about such a thing in the first place.

"That's good. Plants will not get hungry then, and then they don't have to suffer. But I know what it is like to be thirsty. My master didn't like giving us water all that often, though since water is a lot cheaper we got it much, much, much more often than food," Shion recalled as she looked down at the plants, observing the orange color of the ones that Satoshi had planted. They were very nice indeed, and Shion didn't blame him for choosing such a color to plant.

"Our plants never get thirsty. We water them every day! Nipah!" cried Rika. "We're actually going to grow them a little more before we take one and put it in a pot with some soil so we can admire them on the windowsill. This house can use some more color, and those blue and orange plants are perfect. All you have to do is carefully dislodge them from a ground and put them in a flower pot with some soil and put it in a spot where there is some light, and then everything will be okay for the plant."

Shion actually didn't like that idea. They were going to a take a poor, single flower away from the rest of its family and then leave them on a windowsill so that the only thing they could do was look over their family. Such a tale made Shion sad. "But then isn't she going to miss her sister when you take her away from her family?" Shion pointed out. "I know what it's like to miss your sister."

Rika turned to the girl and giggled a little, having not been able to help doing so at such a comment. It was kind of sad how little that she really knew, but it was very cute to see her concerned about taking a flower away from her sister. In truth, she was sympathizing with the flower. "No, that's not it. Flowers don't have emotions, but they are living things just like humans. They don't have sisters or brothers or mothers or fathers and all that either. They don't reproduce the same way humans do. All they do is release seeds and then the seeds will grow somewhere."

Shion blinked at her. "But then wouldn't they be sisters? Because they came from the same flower, and then that flower would be their mother," she pointed out.

"It's not the same," she answered. "It's just not the same with plants."

Shion narrowed her eyes. "I feel bad for the plants. They say things like plants don't miss their family, but they say the same things about demons, too. They say that we are cruel and evil, but we really aren't. I don't think anyone can understand how sad it is for a demon to be taken away from her sister because they think that they can't feel anything, just like how you're saying that plants can't feel anything," she told her, sounding dead serious as she spoke about the matter. It had become clear to Rika that she really was trying to sympathize with the flowers.

"Shion—"

"I bet the plants miss their mothers, too. I bet there are plants out there who do not know their mothers and they want to meet them," she continued on, gazing back to the window to look at the flowers outside.

"Shion—"

"Poor flowers. People just don't understand flowers…"

"Shion!" cried Rika. "It's not the same, okay? Flowers don't belong to the same group as humans. There are six kingdoms, and those separate life forms into six different groups. Two of them are animalia and plantae, and the two are very different since the six kingdoms are the first part of separating species. Plantae don't have brains like we do, and they can't think or feel emotions. We can, though. I know you're trying to compare yourself to a plant, but in some cases, it just doesn't work."

Shion looked down at her feet. She had no idea what this scientific stuff was that she was talking about, but it seemed to have some kind of logic to it. Still, though, she had to feel bad for the plants. Were they really like Rika was saying? Could they really not feel emotions? She used to think that she couldn't, but Keiichi had taught her otherwise. She knew she had them now, but could the same be said for plants? Could she teach the plants how to feel emotions?

But they didn't think like humans and demons, so that probably wasn't possible.

Maybe Rika was right. She didn't really know. So with that, she decided to keep quiet about the subject for now.

Just then, Satoshi and Satoko both walked in the room, the two of them chatting to each other about various matters that Shion didn't really pick up on, since she wasn't really concentrating on their conversation.

"…Hello, Shion!" greeted Satoko as she ran up to the demon. "How are you? We went out looking around the village."

"…We were hoping to see your sister somewhere, but we couldn't find her," Satoshi explained to the girl, then walking up so that he was looking directly into the girl's green eyes. "We did look around the forest, though. Do you possibly know what number she is? If we know, then—"

"She does not have a number. She is Mion and she looks exactly like me. That's all you need to know to find her," Shion answered instantly, refusing to give away the number of her sister, since she refused to speak about her number or her sister's number. They were no longer Number Twenty-Seven or Number Twenty-Eight. They were Mion and Shion. "Please don't talk about numbers anymore. We do not have numbers."

Satoshi rubbed the back of his head. "Well… I-I was hoping to ask the Sonozaki family for information since my good friend, a Sonozaki, had been speaking about how he had lost two demons and they were looking for them. If I ask them if they had found a certain number, then…" He paused. "No, wait, it could work even if I ask if they had found their demons yet. So never mind, then. You don't have a number anymore, after all," he spoke with a smile on his face, almost as an apology for bringing up the topic of numbers.

"Do you think that she's been captured?" Shion asked.

Satoshi looked unsure. "Well, I wouldn't know. My friend hasn't spoken about them in a while."

"I think she's still missing, but I'm not sure," Satoko said directly after her brother had answered. "But not to worry! We will see him tomorrow at school, so we can look."

Shion had to wonder who this person was. They were a Sonozaki, obviously, and they were looking for her. That could be a key in discovering who had tried to capture her sister and her the night before. Keiichi had told her a little about school before and how young people generally went to school, so she wasn't sure that it was the same man who went to that school. He was very big, after all, and someone that big could not be a young person who went to school.

"Thank you," she said. "I hope you find her."

"I hope I do, too, for your sake," Satoshi told her gently. "You really miss her, don't you?"

Shion gave him a single nod. She wasn't sure what else to do.

"Well, don't worry. Even though I failed this time, I'm going to find her. Will you promise me that you'll believe in me until then?" Satoshi asked her as she shot him one of his large smiles, one that was full of determination and something that was rather rare for the shy boy.

Shion nodded again. She hoped she could trust him, even though he had already asked this of her before.

Well, hopefully he would make some progress.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Keiichi stood there in the kitchen while a group of police officers began to investigate the dead bodies of his parents. He wasn't really sure what else to do at this point other than watch as they commented to each other about the state of their bodies and how the person could have killed them. Keiichi already knew, of course, but he felt as if he shouldn't say anything until they asked him for details.

"So, you said that they were killed last night?" a police officer asked him.

Keiichi nodded as he continued to watch the scene before him. He wasn't quite sure what they were doing right now, but that was fine. "Yeah, they were killed last night at a very late time. It was around dinner, actually. He just walked in and murdered them, and I'm not quite sure why."

The police officer scribbled something down in his notebook. "And you didn't call us before?"

Keiichi gulped. How was he going to explain that one? "…I kind of passed out," he lied. "I just woke up and called you first thing. I put on my clothing afterwards so I didn't look informal when you came over."

"I see," he murmured as he scribbled something else down.

He sure hoped that he wouldn't be under any suspicion, especially since the fact that he hadn't called him earlier was just a little more than slightly suspicious. Still, though, he knew that he was innocent, and he didn't think that they could accuse him of killing his parents unless he had a good reason to do so. Though he had to admit, police investigations usually involved finding the suspect no matter what, even if they were going to ignore the motive for the crime. That always came last after figuring out a possible suspect.

He just watched for a while, wondering what they would think of the whole situation. Would they believe him?

"Listen, kid, it's a little funny that you didn't call us before, but we're going to have to say that you would be in a lot more trouble and suspicion if the murders weren't going around right now," the police officer spoke. "We're investigating the other murders of Kimiyoshi and the stealing of the demons, and it's quite possible that they did the same thing. What did this man look like? Did you get a look at his face?"

He shook his head. "I couldn't see his face, but he was a very large man with a lot of muscles. He was very, very, very strong too. It was very hard for me to get away from him. He was going to kill me, too." He looked down at his feet. He wondered how things would be like if he had actually gotten captured back then. Mion would be captured, too, and Shion too, though it was possible that she was actually captured right now as well. "He was cloaked in quite a bit of clothing."

Suddenly, a rather fat old man walked up to the two of them, a notebook in his hand and a smile on his face. "It looks like it's the same guy as the one reported to be sneaking around the village at night. We also received a report from a young girl that she had actually managed to outrun the man, and that he looked exactly like how you just described." He puffed on his cigarette. "It looks like he's mostly clear, unless he happens to be lying about seeing this man."

Keiichi blinked at the man. He had been taking notes on the corpses before, so it was a little strange that he just decided to walk up now.

"Maebara Keiichi-san, hm? I've heard about you. I'm Kuraudo Ooishi from the Okinomiya police department. I was put on the crew for investigating the strange murder of the Houjou couple and then the Furude couple later. I was originally there for the Dam War, but…" he paused so that he could blow on his cigarette, sending a cloud of smoke into Keiichi's face. "The Dam War didn't last very long, as you know. My good friend was the director. They wanted me to stay when the case of the Houjou couple came up."

Keiichi wondered why he was explaining all this to him, but that wasn't what mattered right now.

"So, you've heard reports of this man?"

Ooishi nodded. "He had been spotted by many people many times. He's been sneaking around the village at night, but sometimes he doesn't do anything. He's the prime suspect for the murder of Kimiyoshi Kiichirou and eight of his demons, as well as the stealing of the forty-three remaining ones. Also, he has been associated with the kidnappings due to the call I received from the girl."

That was surely Satoko who had made that call. She had been the one who had outrun that man, after all. She did manage to capture him temporarily, which was quite a feat. With her skills, Keiichi was sure that she would be able to capture anyone, even a rabid demon. "Are you sure it's the same man doing all of this?"

"Well, we're assuming that due to the reports, but I suppose you can never be sure, can you?" He blew on his cigarette again. Keiichi was tempted to tell him to throw the thing away, as he really hated inhaling that disgusting smoke, but he figured it would be rude to tell a police officer who was trying to help him to stop doing what they were doing. "And now, he's suspected of murdering two innocent humans. We'll have to find out why in the world he would do that."

Keiichi knew that the reason why he had killed his parents was a punishment for not handing Mion and Shion over to him when he had asked, but he didn't want to mention the fact that he had stolen any demons to them for obvious reasons. Still, though, it wouldn't make any sense if they were to investigate it without knowing that he did have some demons with him. Of course, he still couldn't tell him that. He just figured that they would find some other explanation somehow.

"The case of Kiichirou Kimiyoshi was pretty obvious, as you can guess. We know he killed him because he wanted the demons, but for what reason he wanted the demons is unknown. The case of the children kidnappings…" he sighed. "Well, that's another reason I have been investigating around here and haven't retired. I want to know what's up with the children kidnappings. Why in the world would they want to kidnap children? Is there any reason at all for this, other than to be cruel?" Another puff of smoke was sent out. "We have been investigating the possibility that he really is just doing it to be cruel, but we aren't sure. We wish to find him first, but the Three Great Families have other plans."

"Tell me, Maebara-san," the police officer next to Ooishi spoke up. "Do you know what the Watanagashi festival is?"

Keiichi blinked. He had heard about a local festival, but the word Watanagashi was a new one to him.

"Judging by your expression, you don't." The police officer sighed. "Well, as you can tell, it's a festival. But… it's not like the others."

"Not like the others?" repeated Keiichi.

Ooishi had a grave expression on his face. "It's a very sick festival. Every year, the Sonozaki family picks a sacrifice for the Watanagashi festival. They are then tied up on that restraining board outside of the Furude Shrine and are publically executed in front of the others. That tends to be the way this cursed village deals with things." He twirled his cigarette in between his fingers. "But that aside, it's different from the other executions. This one is special. They prepare a huge speech about the legend of Onigafuchi, mostly about the Legend of Makoto and Koichi, and then move on to talk about what the victim did. And then… they execute them in a special way."

So, it was basically a fancier execution? That's what Keiichi picked up on, anyway.

"It's sick. They get a demon to cut open the person's stomach and tear out their intestines while _everyone_ watches. And _everyone_ has to be there, no exceptions. The Sonozaki family who runs it can get away with having a few members stay at home, but that's about it." The police officer shook his head. "It's sad, really. Those poor children have to watch such a horrible thing. And even if they look away, they still have to hear the screams of the victim."

Keiichi cringed as he listened to it. Just the idea of watching someone get their stomach cut open was making his own stomach hurt. Listening to those men scream as they died was enough for Keiichi. Getting your stomach cut open when you were still alive and getting your intestines torn right out _while you were still alive_ was a lot more painful and gruesome. The amount of screams had to be doubled! He sure hoped that Satoshi would cover Satoko's eyes and ears, just like how he had done at the execution.

"That's… sick," he managed to cough out.

"It is indeed. Well, you get the point here. It's coming up, and they're going to need a sacrifice. It's going to be impossible catching this guy when there are bunches of people wanting to capture him so they can publically cut his stomach open and prepare the greatest speech of all time about how terrible he was for his deeds." Ooishi turned to the window briefly, glancing out of it as another cloud of smoke was breathed from his mouth. "So, the investigation will be tough. I can assure you we will capture this man, though, seeing as he also killed your parents. Do you have any relatives to stay with?"

Keiichi shook his head. "We had a lot of money, though, so I can survive on my own for a little while. Besides, I have friends that are willing to take care of me," he told him.

"Well, as long as you have that. Though keep an eye out, kid. If he tried to kill you once, it may happen again," the police officer by Ooishi's side spoke up. "We're going to get rid of the bodies now, and clean up the blood a little, and then we'll be off. You don't want this whole place being a bloody mess, after all, and I don't think that you want to be staring at the dead bodies of your parents all day."

Keiichi nodded. This place was starting to smell… and on top of that, seeing his parents both dead was just too painful.

"We'll get to you when we find any information about this killer guy. Please watch out and be safe, and let us know if you spot him again. We're keeping track of the number of times he is spotted, and exactly where he is spotted," Ooishi told him.

"All right, thank you."

**~~~~X~~~~**

School came the next day, and Keiichi was particularly silent as he sat down at his desk and began to think about a few things. He was glad that no police officer had spotted Mion, making everything a lot easier for him. There would be no explaining why there was a Sonozaki demon in his house, and there would be no chance that he was arrested by the police, or perhaps even put to death by the Sonozakis. Whatever the case was, he was just glad that the bodies of his parents had been put to rest. He wanted to hold a funeral, but he wasn't sure how to make the arrangements and he wasn't even sure he had enough money, so he regretfully had to ask them to simply burry his parents outside. He would have loved to give them a respectful burial, but it wasn't possible.

He felt regret for such a thing, and on top of that, he felt regret at having left Mion the day before. Really, he wasn't sure he had many options anymore. He had little choice in such a situation.

He remembered back when his parents had suggested they moved here, saying it would be an adventure. He was expecting to have one, but not one like this. He counted the many things that had happened. He got friends for once, he learned about the existence of demons, his parents were dead, he was in love with a demon, and one of his close demon friends was missing, possible captured, and her sister was heartbroken.

What an adventure he was having. The shooting kids with the model gun "adventure" he had had couldn't even compare to this one.

Now, he had many things on his mind, and one of them was the Legend of the Hero. He needed to get the truth behind that. Kaede said the only one who knew what he had said was Koichi and Makoto, and Koichi himself did not write the book he had read about the legend. It simply said what he had said about the legend, and what his words were supposed to be. Were the twins really going to take down the town? The only twins he knew of were Mion and Shion, who would never do such a thing. He knew that they were good at heart, even though they were demons. And who was this Hero guy, on top of that?

He realized he had told Rena he would think about it a little more. He hadn't. The only thing that had come to his mind was questions, and endless amounts of questions, too. So he decided to go over what he knew. First, he knew that Mion and Shion couldn't be the evil twins from the legend. There could possibly be another set of twins in the village, probably fraternal demon twins who were unaware that they were twins. Second, he knew that the Hero was supposed to be male, but that was the only hint given to whom this Hero could be. He was a male. He could be any age, he could look like anything, he could _be _anything, maybe even a demon. But judging by how Koichi felt about demons, he highly doubted that.

…How did The Legend of the Hero come about, anyways? Did Makoto just speak of this and then Koichi added something on? That seemed to be the only time it appeared in the Legend of Makoto and Koichi. Makoto, in the story Kaede had told her, had never spoken anything about Makoto learning about the destruction of the village involving twins. Never did the word "twins" appear in the story. Sure, it probably appeared when she mentioned what became The Legend of the Hero, but that's it. There was no indication as to how it came about.

He was beginning to doubt the legend. It just seemed all too random to him, and there weren't enough clues.

The twins would bring destruction, but the Hero would save them. That's all that was known about the legend, as it hadn't happened yet.

He wondered if Rena had come up with anything. She said she would think about it and try to find out who exactly this Hero was. He didn't know how he and Rena were going to find a set of demon fraternal twins that didn't know they were twins, as they could be in the same place or they could have been sold separately. Besides, forty-three demons were missing, and maybe even one of them had been killed.

How would they bring destruction, anyways? It was never said.

Keiichi slammed his head down on the desk. It wasn't making any sense to him. No matter how hard he dug for clues, he couldn't find the answer. There simply wasn't enough information.

"Hey, Keiichi. Something wrong?" a voice spoke out to him, and when he looked up, he realized that it was Takeru who was speaking. The green-haired boy took a seat next to him, a concerned look in his forest-green eyes. "You look like you're frustrated. What's wrong? Can't do the math homework? Don't know the answers you need to know to write a history essay? Did you meet some pretty girl who you asked out on a date when you fell in love with her at first site, but then she told you that she already had a boyfriend?"

Keiichi shook his head. He wasn't sure if he should bring up The Legend of the Hero to Takeru, but after thinking about it, he realized that as the heir to the Sonozaki family, he should know something about The Legend of the Hero. Even a little bit of information that he didn't already know would push him in a good direction, as he was completely lost right now. He needed some kind of information.

"Hey, Takeru, can I ask you a question?" asked Keiichi.

A smirk broke off against Takeru's face as soon as he mentioned it. "Oh, let me guess, you want to know how I flirt with girls so well, and how I got a girl like Rena to fall in love with me? Haha, well I don't share those tips! But maybe, since you're my friend, I'll share."

Keiichi shook his head. Why was everything always about girls for Takeru? Maybe the fact that Rena was dating him, even though she didn't really love him, had gotten to his head.

"No, that's not it. It's a strange question about Onigafuchi, but I want you to tell me what you know," he told him.

Takeru blinked in confusion. "Oh, sure. I am the heir to the Sonozaki family, after all. I should know something."

_My thoughts exactly_. "…Takeru, can you tell me what you know about The Legend of the Hero?"

Takeru stiffened and said nothing.

"…I know that the twins are supposed to bring destruction to the village, and then a hero will save the village, but that's about all I know. I mean, it's very vague when you think about it. I mean, how will they bring destruction? How will the Hero save the day? Who are these twins? Who is the Hero?" Keiichi spoke, trying to get some answers out of Takeru. Even if he knew a part of the answer to one of these questions, it would be fine. At this point, he was just desperate for some kind of answer.

Takeru looked around the room, and then at Keiichi, and then back around the room. Slowly, he pushed his chair right next to Keiichi's, and then gave him a very, very, very serious look.

"Don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Only a few of the elders of the village know this…" he looked around the room cautiously again. "Just… don't tell anyone."

Keiichi was curious as to what he had to say. Clearly it was important, since he was being so careful about it. The serious expression on his face also indicated the same, and the fact that only a few knew it. "I promise I won't tell anyone," he spoke, though he secretly wished that he could share what he learned with Rena. Maybe Takeru would tell her, since she was his girlfriend, but… Well, he wasn't sure how important this information was to him. Maybe it wouldn't actually be much.

Takeru nodded, and then he scooted closer. And with a deep breath, he whispered into his ear.

"That's me, Keiichi. I'm the Hero of Onigafuchi."

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**SURPRISE!**

**Yeah, I wonder how many of you saw that coming. Yeah, I bet you weren't expecting me to through in a twist at the end of the chapter. I bet you figured it out when you saw the ending, though. Darn. But this may or may not seem like important information to you. And let me tell you something. It is. It is very important. The Legend of the Hero is an important part of this story. This is very, very, very important.**

**I meant it when I said I would be picking up the pace of this story.**

**Anyways, It's Thursday, the planned date for me to finish this chapter. Just a question, but does any one of you feel like Thursday is very unimportant and neglected compared to the other days of the week? I mean, Monday is the first day of the week everyone dreads, Tuesday is the second where people begin to get used to things, Wednesday is the middle, Friday is the end everyone loves, Saturday is the most wonderful day ever because no school + no homework, and Sunday is another day off. Thursday is just… Thursday. Maybe it's just me, though. This has been on my mind for a long, long time.**

**Anyways, please review! People who review this chapter will get a pet mouse or a pet gerbil or hamster, or whatever small animal. We recently got new mice. Well, even before I uploaded the last chapter, but I just didn't put that in. One is brown, one is orange and white, and the other is brown and white. Our old mice were all white, and we couldn't tell them apart. Good thing we can now. The white ones died, though. They don't last for **_**too **_**long. Anyways, if you point out typos or leave predictions, you can have a free dessert.**

**And why has no one subbed Kira 3 yet? *rages***

**~Crimso**


	29. Chapter 28: Warmth

**Crimso's Notes:**

**I hate it when we have band instead of study hall. Really, Friday fourth period is for STUDY HALL. That's what it says on the schedule. You don't change it to being band every once in a while. Sure, there isn't any other time to practice, but we should just do all that during music class. I need my study hall! …That said… I'm in Spanish class. I'm having study hall now in Spanish, since my work is done, but still, I'd like two periods (that's an hour and forty minutes!) to do my writing. **

**Note one: Direct continuation from last chapter.**

**Note two: THIS IS A FILLER CHAPTER. Don't worry; the build up is almost over.**

**Note three: Do note that only Rena, Mion, and Shion know that Keiichi's parents were killed.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Warmth**

Keiichi sat there in his seat, his eyes wide with shock and his mouth gaped open from such a revelation. What was Takeru telling him now? Was he really the Hero of Onigafuchi? He wasn't sure what to say. Takeru just sat there, a sad smile on his face as he nodded in confirmation. He had been expecting to gain small details to push him in the right direction, but finding out directly who the Hero was was not expected, and especially the identity of the Hero himself.

"…You…?" he finally said.

"Yes, me. _I _am the Hero, Keiichi," he repeated.

Keiichi once again found himself at a loss of words. He wasn't sure what to ask him now that he had been engulfed in complete and utter shock, but he tried his best to shake off the shock. As much as he tried, though, the shock was still there. He hadn't been expecting the Hero of Onigafuchi to be his friend Takeru of all people.

_Does that mean…?_ He will be the one to fight the twins, whoever these twins were. And if they were Mion and Shion… it would mean that siblings would hold the fate of Onigafuchi, even if Mion and Shion didn't know their relationship to him. Takeru, on the other hand, certainly did know.

"How do you know?" Keiichi finally asked without thinking.

Takeru sighed. "In Koichi's book, the one he wrote himself about Makoto, he said that when one of The Three Great Families reaches a certain number of births since Makoto's defeat, that one would become the hero. With many people before me, plus the birth of the twins that were killed, I am that number in the Sonozaki family. We beat out the Kimiyoshi family and the Furude family," he explained to the boy, who was still very, very surprised. "I know it's confusing…"

Keiichi hadn't read Koichi's book, but that would definitely be a good source of information, as he was one of the two people who had actually heard the words, and the other person had died moments after the words had been spoken. Takeru, as the Hero, obviously learned about his status and probably had seen the original copy of Koichi's legend, though that didn't explain why he had been referring to Makoto as male before when she was clearly stated to be female in the book.

Maybe he only read the part about the Hero. That would explain things.

"Okay. Do you know anything about the twins?" Keiichi finally asked, moving onto the second part of the legend. If Mion and Shion really were the twins that were going to cause destruction… no, that wasn't possible. Mion and Shion were not the twins in the legend. They couldn't be.

"Well, as you know, my older twin siblings were killed at birth, so the chance of them being the bad guys were done away with, unless they happened to be the bad guys, then there would be no need for me," Takeru whispered carefully into his ear, eyeing Rena as she walked into the classroom. "I think that there may be a hidden pair of twins among the many demons, since I know everyone in the village and know that there are no human twins in the village aside from my sist-… my siblings, who are obviously dead."

He had a similar theory, but Keiichi doubted that he was being honest, seeing as he knew that his sisters were both alive, and the idea of looking for twins didn't need to be considered, seeing as a pair of twins was right there in front of his own eyes. The only reason why he was considering looking around for fraternal twin demons was because he knew that Mion and Shion were innocent. Of course, Takeru may know them well and know that such a thing wasn't possible. Maybe he bonded with them as well.

But that had to be wrong. He didn't let them free, after all, and on top of that, the twins said that no one had bothered interacting with them aside from that servant guy who had quit his job for no given reason.

"Well, that makes sense. I guess it would be hard to figure out if there are twins, since a lot of demons don't remember their siblings are know that they are siblings. Besides, fraternal twins are much more common than identical, and it is likely that the twins spoken of were just fraternal. Then you'd have no way of knowing by looks," Keiichi pointed out to the boy.

Takeru nodded. "It's going to be tough, but the twins shall make themselves known when the time has come." He sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "Listen, Keiichi. I don't know about you, but I have this feeling that everything is going to go wrong now. I have a feeling that Onigafuchi is going to reach its downfall. And at time, I'm going to have to make myself known and become the Hero. How am I going to save the village? My grandmother has trained me to do heroic things like fight if I need to, but I don't know what I need to do in order to fend off these twins. It doesn't make any sense to me. There's so much pressure, and I can _feel_ it happening soon."

Kaede thought something similar. She said that she could sense the downfall coming within days, and as did Rika's friend, who was supposedly not imaginary. There were three people, if you believed that Rika really wasn't lying when she said that her friend was not imaginary. And even if her friend was imaginary, wouldn't that mean Rika herself thought the same thing? Everyone felt it. Even in the atmosphere, Keiichi could feel it himself. The days of Onigafuchi were coming to a close.

And Takeru was the only one that could stop it, as the Hero. But really, what _was_ he supposed to do? The Legend of the Hero was vague. They said he would save everyone from destruction, but that was it. How? Takeru must have been having trouble figuring out exactly what he needed to do in order to stop the twins.

That legend really was vague, and that's why he was having so much trouble with it. Now that he knew Takeru was the Hero, a good portion of the legend was solved. But there was still the question as to who the twins were, and what they would do, and what the Hero would do to stop the downfall from happening. And he needed to do it _soon._

"That murderer is probably connected," Takeru said, thinking of cloaked man. "We are trying to capture him for the Watanagashi… wait, Keiichi, do you know what the Watanagashi is?" He turned to the boy, his eyes looking somewhat serious, and Keiichi knew why. The Watanagashi was a seriously sick "festival" and just thinking about it probably wasn't any fun for him, mostly because the Sonozaki family was the one that organized it, and as the heir, he was expected to take part in it _somehow._

"I know, I was told. A sacrifice is chosen and then their stomach gets ripped open and their intestines removed. You guys are in charge of the festival, aren't you?" he asked, referring to the Sonozaki family.

He nodded gravely. "Unfortunately yes, and it looks like we'll have to be borrowing a demon from someone this year. We're out, the Kimiyoshi family is missing all of the demons they own, and Rika refuses to lend me any of her demons for some strange reason. That aside, we need to find a sacrifice." He looked down at his desk, his teeth clenched together. "I know that the downfall is going to happen on the Watanagashi. I just know it. It's not even a guess. I _know_ it's going to happen."

"I guess your sense as the Hero is telling you that, huh?" Keiichi spoke to him.

Takeru nodded. "I think so. Keiichi, please be ready for that time. I'll deal with it as the Hero, but I don't want you getting hurt. Who knows how many men the twins will be able to slaughter before I get to taking them down?" He balled his fist. "I'll take them down before they hurt anyone… for sure!" There was a bit of anger and determination in his eyes, though it mostly seemed to be anger. Why that was, Keiichi didn't know. He probably was just angry at the thought of someone attacking the village, and the fact that he had so much on his shoulders.

Suddenly, Rena walked up to them both, cutting off their conversation. She had been speaking to Satoko and Rika before thankfully, so she probably didn't hear any of their conversation. However, Keiichi wanted to tell Rena, as she Keiichi's friend and his closest human companion at the moment. They had vowed that they would find out together, and he couldn't just leave her in the dark like that after he had found out about something that major. However, it seemed like he didn't have much of a choice.

"Rena, Keiichi and I were just discussing something important. I'll tell you what it is when you come to my house after school," Takeru informed her.

Relief flooded through Keiichi. So Rena would find out after all. He shouldn't have put it past him to tell Rena such a thing. She was his girlfriend who he loved dearly, after all. Keeping such a secret from her wasn't okay.

"Mhm. Rena will listen to whatever Takeru-kun has to say!" Rena cried out, using her happy and cute voice.

"Good," Takeru spoke before turning back to Keiichi. "Don't tell anyone. I'm only going to tell Rena, and that's it for now. Everything will be unveiled when the time comes."

He knew that he had to tell Mion, but that shouldn't matter to Takeru, as he didn't know that Mion was with him and Mion wasn't going to go around spreading rumors like some people would do. It was important that Mion would find out about this information, seeing as she was apparently a part of the legend. While he didn't think so, he knew that Takeru and the others would instantly assume Shion and her were the twins that would destroy the village. It was important that they knew who the Hero was, just in case.

He wondered if the real twins would really make their appearance when the time came, or if they would do everything in secret. Perhaps it wouldn't be a heroic battle. Maybe they would just come up with a scheme and Takeru would foil it before it had been launched or something similar to that. He didn't know, but that was something to be considered. No one knew what would happen in the legend. All they knew were the characters and the ending.

"Ah, Takeru!" a blonde-haired boy called out as he went up to him.

"Satoshi?" Takeru said, slightly surprised. Satoshi wasn't usually the person to walk up and start a conversation with someone.

He smiled. "Good morning, Takeru, Keiichi, Rena," he greeted the three of them. "Takeru, I have a question for you."

"Shoot," the green-haired boy said.

"…Did you ever find those two demons that had gotten stolen?" asked Satoshi.

Now here was an interesting topic for Keiichi. If he said yes, then that meant that Shion was with him. Of course, he could go ahead and lie about it, but there was no need for him to do so since he thought that neither of them knew who the twins were. While Keiichi knew Satoshi didn't know about the truth about the twins and that he was simply asking, the fact that he really did know was unknown and Takeru would never suspect it.

"No, we didn't find either of them, unfortunately," Takeru said. "The thief and the demons are still on the run."

Relief flooded Keiichi. Unless his friend was lying, that meant that Shion wasn't captured. But where would she be, then? Was she in the middle of the forest? Well, at least he knew that he wasn't back in that cell of the Sonozaki basement. He needed to tell Mion to at least stop her worrying a little bit. Even if she were in the forest, it would be better than being trapped back in that basement,

He could relax a little for now. If she was in the forest, they could go out and look.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Takeru sighed as he walked into his room, still covered in dirty clothing and assignments that had been given back to him that he just couldn't find a place for, rubbing the back of his head. He had told everything to Keiichi, about his secret about being the Hero of Onigafuchi. He had been planning to keep things a secret until Watanagashi rolled around and it was necessary to unveil things, but he figured that it would be okay to tell Keiichi of all people. It didn't really matter, anyways.

Still, though, Watanagashi was going to be big… and he could tell that already.

"Takeru?" a voice called out.

"Huh? Come in," he spoke.

The door to his room slid open, revealing the figure of his mother, much to his surprise. He hadn't been expected her to come in.

She sighed as she looked around his room. "Takeru, would you please pick up for once? I'm getting tired of telling you to do it. If you pick up after you make a mess, then you won't have to procrastinate when you have too much to do," she commented as she bent down and picked up a paper from the ground. "Huh? You got a C on this essay?" she spoke, staring at the grade written on the paper.

"Chie didn't teach it well," Takeru said, brushing the subject off.

Akane sighed and shook her head as she placed the paper down on his wardrobe before she bent down to pick up the other papers, beginning to stack them into a neat pile. "I'll do this much for you, but you have to take care of the clothing. You wore that shirt a week ago," she said, shuffling through the many papers on the ground. "You got a C on this assignment, too…"

Takeru ignored the talk about grades. "Why are you here, Mom?" he asked her.

"Oh, why not be here? I wanted to talk to you since it's been a while since we really sat down and talked together," she said as she stared at another assignment, wearing annoyed eyes as she looked at the grade on the assignment. "Aside from the fact that you haven't been doing well in school at all judging by these grades, how have your friends been? It's been a while since anyone aside from Rena came over."

"They're fine," the green-haired boy responded. "There hasn't been any trouble with anyone, I don't think. Satoko encountered the kidnapper a few days ago, but she managed to outrun the guy and she got a good look at what he looks like. Apparently, he's a very buff man and can run pretty fast. That aside, everything's been fine. I doubt that the kidnapper or the murder has any reason to target any of my friends, Satoko and Rika aside."

Akane placed the papers she had gathered onto the wardrobe, finding a free space on it. "Rika-chan is very good for being able to run the Furude family all by herself at such an age. I don't think I would be able to do that if Mother died when I was that little. Poor thing. I sure hope that the murderer doesn't decide to target her after the death of Kimiyoshi, seeing as he's trying to get his hands on as many demons as he can. Kaede is pretty tough, but he did manage to fight off the loyal Kai." She bent down to pick up another mess of papers.

Well, Kai didn't have emotions, so maybe that had affected his battle. …Takeru didn't know, though. Anger was often the key for strength. "Kaede is tough. I doubt that the man will be able to get through her that easily. Kai… well, I heard that Kaede's always been stronger than Kai. Makes me wonder why Koichi picked him over Kaede."

"…Well, I have only heard tales of the legend and I've never read the actual story, so I wouldn't know." She sat down on the ground in front of her son, having cleaned up most of the papers and having decided to leave her son to do the rest. It was his mess, after all. "But I am afraid for Rika, and especially for Mother since the man will also target our demons."

Akane wasn't aware of the fact that there were only two demons, and that those two demons were her daughters. She was still unaware of the fact that her daughters had been kept alive, and Oryou intended to keep it that way for a long, long time. She did know that two of them had gone missing, though. "I know Mother is tough, but who knows what she can do against a man who killed Kimiyoshi and eight demons, also fighting off Kai, who is said to be very powerful. I wonder if even Kenji can take all that…" She looked down at the ground.

Takeru winced at the name of the former head demon. He was dead, but his mother didn't know that.

"Mom, don't worry. The Watanagashi is coming soon, and we will capture him as a sacrifice," the green-haired boy told his mother gently, in order to reassure her. "I am the Hero after all, Mom. I can take him down. We will definitely capture that man, and the Watanagashi this year will be splendid. Grandmother has already told me her plans for everything, and even if we can't find that killer, we can find the person who stole Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, if they are a different person."

Akane looked apprehensive. "Takeru, please be careful. I know you're the Hero and all that, and you're going to reveal that fact during the speech Yasuo's going to make for the Watanagashi, but you're still my son…" she spoke, her voice edged with worry.

"Don't worry. Do you think that someone can take down the Hero so easily?" Takeru reassured her again, giving her a wink.

In truth, Akane was shaky about the whole situation about her son being the Hero. She had known at his birth, since he was the number needed in the family to become the Hero. However, the fact that all of her children born were related to the legend made her a little upset. Even if they were going to become to head of the Sonozaki family, Akane wanted to have a normal child. If only her twins hadn't been killed… then thing would be different. Sure, they would be suspected for being the twins from the legend, but then there wouldn't be a hero.

And no matter how many times Takeru would speak about him being the Hero, so that he can remind her that he wouldn't die no matter what, she always felt scared. Even though he was the Hero, she felt something bad about the whole situation, like he wasn't so indestructible as the Hero was said to be. She couldn't help but worry about the situation with the destruction of Onigafuchi. Her mother had spoken to her recently about how she felt it coming soon with all the recent murders, and that meant that her son would have to take an action as the Hero. What if he really wasn't as powerful? What if he failed the legend? It was only a legend, after all.

"Please, Takeru. Even though you're the Hero, it doesn't mean that you're immortal. Don't be reckless," she whispered to him, fear in her voice as she thought about seeing her child dead on the ground.

She had already lost two children. She didn't want lose another. Though she had refused to have another child at first, Takeru was someone she deeply loved and cared for, even if he didn't pick up his room and got Cs on essays. Just the thought of losing him was enough for pain to shoot through her body.

She thought about the time when she had been pregnant with the twins, and she had vowed that she would keep them alive, no matter what. After giving birth, her plan was to stand up for her children and convince Oryou to let her keep them, and even force her to if possible. Her husband was certainly sided with her, and he could easily order people from the yakuza to snatch her babies out of the servant's arms and bring them to somewhere safe. The thought of her failing still was deep in her mind, which only added to the pain.

She had to wonder why being a mother was so complicated when it came to keeping her children alive.

"Mother, I'm going to be _fine._ Don't worry about it, okay? I know I keep saying that, but I know that everything's going to be okay. I'll take down those evil twins, and I'll save Onigafuchi. Then, I'll become a hero, recognized by all of Onigafuchi." There was a spark of excitement in his eyes as he thought about it. "Listen, I promise I won't get hurt, no matter how strong these twins are. I will not die, Mom. I know you're still heartbroken over… my siblings…" He seemed a little uneasy when he spoke those words. Takeru always felt funny whenever he talked about the loss of his sisters, as he really did know that the twins were alive. Speaking to someone about someone who was alive as if they were dead was always odd.

Akane sighed. No matter how many times he would tell her this, her thoughts about the whole thing wouldn't change. She really did have an awful feeling about this.

"Anyways, how's Keiichi?" Akane asked, trying to bring the subject away to distract herself from the idea of Takeru dying and the twins. "Has he been getting along well in the village?"

Takeru nodded with a smile on his face. "He really likes it. He's a fun guy to talk to, too. I like hanging around him, and I'm glad he joined. And I'm especially glad that he has no romantic intention towards Rena…" He was not embarrassed about talking about Rena in front of his mother. She had seen how much affection he gave her whenever she was over, so there was no point in holding back.

"I'm glad to see that you two are such good friends, and I'm glad that the presences of the demons in the village hasn't chased him away… yet," she said.

"Well, he seemed to be scared at first, but he's grown tolerant to the fact that demons dwell in the village. It's like that for a lot of people who move here… if people even move here at all. I think that the name kind of puts people off. I'm surprised that he even moved here." He smiled at the memory of the first time he had come to the Sonozaki Manor. He had actually had quite a bit of fun. "It's a good thing, too. We were worried that the guy would run off and away from the village out of fear. We planned to keep the demons a secret, but when Satoko slipped and mentioned them, it was kind of hard. I don't know when he truly realized they existed, though." He had never asked Keiichi about that. He never found the need to do so, after all.

She smiled at her son. It was rare to see an outsider actually enjoying Onigafuchi. The atmosphere and the legend of demons just scared everyone off, though when she heard about the Maebara parents, it became apparent to her that they just thought that the presence of demons was an old tale. She didn't understand how someone could think of demons as unreal, but then again, she had been born into a village that had them, and she had known about them all her life and had been raised to take care of them. Not that she ever went down there anymore. Demons weren't something that concerned her so much anymore.

"That's good. How has your relationship with Rena been?" she asked, changing the topic ever so slightly.

At the mention of his girlfriend, Takeru's attitude completely changed. "Oh! They've been great! Wonderful! Amazing!" he cried out, sparks of joy in his eyes at the thought of her. "She's the most wonderful thing on this earth, and I'm so glad that we're dating now. Just the other day, we spent the time outside on the koi pond and I was talking about how romantic it would be if the Watanagashi festival was changed to an actual festival, one where we could be happy! We would walk down the paths of the village talking about how much we meant to each other. It would be so romantic!" As he thought more and more about the idea, he could feel his cheeks flush. Even if he wasn't embarrassed about the idea of flirting and being open about his feelings, he got blushes from thinking about such romantic things every once in a while. He really did love the girl.

Akane chuckled at her son's attitude. "Well, if we ever do change this cursed down, the first thing we'll be sure to do is change that awful Watanagashi into a festival where people can have fun. But I guess that's up to you, isn't it? You're going to be the head, not me."

"Well, of course I'll do that! We are the ones that are in charge of the Watanagashi, after all." He smiled at the thought. When he was to be head, he could change the Watanagashi. Then, he could be married to Rena, and they could live peacefully with their children, not having to worry about that festival. He didn't really want to be in charge of doing such a thing.

"All right then, Takeru. Just don't rush into things with your relationship. I'll have you know that Oryou will have you disinherited in seconds if you get her pregnant or anything like that. Not even that, if you two were to sleep together or anything like that." Her tone was full with warning as she spoke about such a subject, her eyes narrowed sternly at him. "And if she doesn't disinherit you, then I will find some other way to punish you. I would definitely—"

"Mom, I'm not going to get her pregnant, and we're not going to sleep together!" cried a blushing Takeru. "It's too early for that!" Despite being in love with her, the idea of doing such an action with her was uncomfortable to the young one. He didn't have intent like that in mind, so it was embarrassing and very uncomfortable when his mother brought up the subject.

Akane still looked stern. "Takeru, I'm serious about the matter. I swear, if I hear that you two slept together, I will ground you in your room and never let you see her again, even if you are the heir."

Takeru was getting uncomfortable with the conversation, especially since he knew such wasn't going to happen anytime soon. He just wanted a steady relationship for now. "Listen, I'm not going to do such a thing! Please believe me! And Mom, please get out of my room. I need to do homework," he lied, knowing that his mother would go on about the idea until she was certain he wouldn't do such a thing. "I mean it this time! See, I'm going to get my homework!" he cried out as he walked towards his bag.

Akane didn't look convinced, but she decided to drop the conversation. If her son was getting this uncomfortable towards the idea, that had to be a sign that he wouldn't. With a sigh, she nodded. "Do your homework well, please." And then she walked out of the door, leaving her son alone.

The boy sighed in relief now that the subject of that was over. His hands drifted away from the bag and he lay down on the futon. No, he would never do that with Rena. It was too early, and even if he did love her very much, it was going too far. Besides, such was hardly on his mind. Being with Rena was comforting for him, seeing as his life was filled with a whole bunch of stuff right now. There was the pressure of being the Hero, the pressure of being the heir, all the killings, the fact that Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight had gone missing… being with Rena really did make him forget about the harshness of life.

At least he had someone who loved him in a dark time like this.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Mion placed her hand on the single window in Keiichi's room, letting out a sigh as she looked outside. Sure, it was beautiful, but the only thing on her mind right now was Shion. Where was she? Had she been captured? She sure hoped not. She ran her hand down the window, leaving a mark on the glass as she did so, but she found that she did not care. All she cared about right now was whether or not her sister was safe. If she had been killed… Mion gulped. She didn't know what she would do.

The mood whenever Keiichi wasn't there was solemn. She had nothing to do without him or Shion around, and she found that most of the time she had was spent attempting to sleep. However, such was impossible when she did not have the warmth needed to fall asleep. She had gotten so used to having her warm sister by her side as she slept, and now, during the times where she was alone, there was nothing but the cold reminder that she was no longer beside her.

Even though she missed her sister, it wasn't like that when Keiichi was around. When he was there, she could forget about the cold void left by Shion's absence. The warmth Keiichi gave, even if it was different than the warmth her sister gave, filled up that void. She felt her face grow hot as she thought about him for some strange reason, and her heart was beginning to beat fast.

She wondered why it always did that when she thought about him. It had actually started happening a long, long, long time ago, but she had never paid much attention to it until the night where Shion disappeared. It really didn't make any sense to her.

Mion glanced down at the bracelet that Keiichi had given her. It was a reminder of him when he wasn't around, and she found that she had been looking at it often all day long.

_"I don't know how to explain it, Mion, but I want you to know that I am in love with you. …When you figure out what that is, I want to hear from your own mouth if you love me, too," he told her gently, moving down her hand to touch the bracelet that he gave her. "Please think about what I told you. Every time you look at this bracelet, I want you to remember what I told you and the feeling you had before when I was holding you."_

Mion didn't know what he meant by being in love with her, and no matter how hard she thought about it, it didn't make very much sense. He said that that warm feeling was love… but there was two kinds love. How was that possible? How was there two loves? There was only one happy, but two loves. She wondered how that was possible.

She touched the bracelet, and just as he had said, she remembered the feeling she got when he held her. It was so warm… so amazing. She blushed as she thought about it. That was love, the romantic kind, whatever that meant. It was a wonderful feeling, and she wanted to feel it again, no matter what.

So she got that feeling every time Keiichi held her? That was what she was picking up on. She got that when she was snuggling next to him as well. Why that was, she didn't know. She knew that Shion felt the same way whenever she slept near her, that she felt the same warmth. Then she wondered if Keiichi felt the same warmth whenever he was next to her. Sure, it was mutual for Mion and Shion, but since it was a different kind of love, it could work differently. Keiichi didn't explain that well.

Whatever the case was, she would always remember that feeling every time she looked at that bracelet, just as he had told her to. Maybe she'd figure things out then.

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing the figure of Keiichi. Mion instantly felt her heart race when she saw him, and she felt happiness along with that strange warm feeling mix inside of her. "Kei-chan!" she cried out instantly as she ran towards the boy, and before she knew what she was doing, her arms were wrapped around him. The warm feeling came to her again, and she held him tighter to get more of that feeling.

"M-Mion?" Keiichi sounded shocked as he looked down at the girl. "Hello?"

Mion buried herself into his chest. _Warm. He's so warm. _"Kei-chan… Kei-chan…"

She didn't want to pull away from that warmth. It filled the void that was left from Shion's disappearance, and she didn't want that void to empty again. She hated it when she felt sad about her disappearance. She learned that sadness was a terrible emotion and she never wanted to experience it. It was a wound of a heart, one that would only heal if she did this. It really did work, she realized.

The minutes were flying by like seconds, but Mion didn't care. She wanted to hold him forever. If she didn't hold him, then the wound would hurt again.

Keiichi stood there like a statue. He didn't really know what to do with Mion embracing him like that. He couldn't push her away or anything like that.

Mion eventually moved away, though, just so that she could look at his eyes. She found that her face was growing hot again when she looked into those eyes. There was just something about them that did that to her, though she wasn't sure what it was. She looked into them for a while, not doing anything else but thinking about how she liked the blue color of them and how they made her heart race. There wasn't a blue like that in the basement.

"Mion, what are you doing?" Keiichi said with a slight chuckle. "You've been looking at my eyes for some time now. Is there something interesting?"

Mion shook her head. "I just like them," she said, to put it very simply.

Keiichi patted the girl on the head, which just caused her heart rate to increase. Mion was afraid now. Her heart had never raced this fast, not even when she saw Oryou holding a katana above her head. Was this even natural?

"You're funny, Mion."

Mion didn't know what to make of that comment.

The two of them sat down on the futon, all the while Mion thinking about the warm feeling, trying to forget about the void of sadness created. If she spent time thinking about Keiichi, she found that the wound didn't hurt so much.

"So, Mion, I found out that Shion hasn't been captured…" Keiichi told her.

The remains of the void at the current time closed up with relief. Her sister wasn't in the basement, where she would be cold and all alone. She didn't have to worry about her being killed or beaten horribly as a punishment for escaping, and she didn't have to worry about how her sister felt about being all alone in the cold basement without her.

"Really? !" she cried out with happiness. "Is she really okay?"

Keiichi nodded, smiling. "She's okay."

"How did you find out? Did you find her?" Mion asked excitedly.

He shook his head. "What happened was that my classmate happened to ask one of my other classmates, who is a Sonozaki, if they had found the two missing demons. He simply said that they hadn't found either demon, and that they were still at large. Unless he was lying, Shion is probably somewhere in the forest. She's okay. She's not with them." He patted Mion on the head once again, causing her face to turn a deep shade of red. "Don't worry anymore."

Mion felt many emotions. There was joy, relief, happiness… and then there was that warm feeling, both kinds of warm, actually, which was apparently love. She felt the non-romantic warm feeling from thinking about seeing her sister again, and the romantic kind knowing that Keiichi was beside her for now.

He would bring Shion back, wouldn't he?

"I think you should get some rest for now, Mion. I know you've been on edge not knowing that your sister has been okay. Why don't we both take a nap together?" Keiichi suggested, pointing towards the futon. She wondered if he could see how tired she was. She hadn't slept at all that afternoon.

Mion nodded and she instantly crawled towards the futon, though she waited for the boy to get in before she did. She felt warm envelop her as she snuggled against his body, wrapping her arms around him as she embraced the feeling. She would be able to get some sleep this way. She was dead tired from not sleeping all afternoon, and she found that she couldn't sleep without the warm feeling no matter how tired she was. And now, she had that warm feeling beside her.

That was why she fell asleep almost instantly.

But as she did so, Keiichi couldn't help but wonder about Satoshi. Had he asked about the demons for some sort of reason? If he did, then what was the reason? He thought about that for a little bit. He didn't really have a reason to ask, after all.

But then he realized he was probably being silly. Satoshi was always concerned about everyone, even if it didn't have to do with him. The reason why he asked was probably just him being concerned. That was how he was, after all.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Please note that while this is filler, I hope that it was somewhat entertaining. I know it's kind of boring, just… somewhat, would be okay. I think that this is going to be the last filler for a long, long, long, long time. Maybe even the last filler all together. No, I'm sure that it is going to be the last filler. So with that, I hope you're somewhat satisfied. Really, the action begins shortly. **_**I promise.**_** No, really. I promise. I'm trying to write more chapters more often, and it is working. I wrote… what… three chapters this week? That's a huge accomplishment. I could do something like that with GED, but those were times when I was a year young and a grade lower, so that meant I had less work and more time. I hope that we can get to the end of this by January, and then I hope you are looking forward to WAN.**

**This chapter wasn't entirely pointless, though, when I think about it. Here, you have the explanation of Takeru. Do know that the number was some sort of exact number that he didn't actually remember, but I will let you know that he IS that number. He just doesn't remember it. I'm not trying to fool you with the whole number thing. Also, the end was build up with Mion's feelings towards Keiichi. We saw a lot of it from Keiichi's mind, but not from Mion's. I think I needed to add something like that in so we can have a clear view of what she thinks.**

**Not much else to say. The week went by fast, and for that, I'm glad. The work has decreased. I have a science test on Tuesday, but when do I ever do badly on science tests?**

**Please review! People who review can get some kind of pastry, and if you don't like that, you can get some kind of other awesome food. People who point out typos will get another ticket to Crimso Land, because you need one for every few days that you stay. Really, I want to know what you think, and what you think is going to happen, seeing as the next chapter is where things really get going.**

**Sorry for the boring Crimso's Corner. It was only yesterday that I wrote the other one, so not much has happened to share.**

**~Crimso**


	30. Chapter 29: Coldness

**Crimso's Notes**

**Sundays are a sad thing, because we all know that it's the day before Monday, one of the most dreaded days on earth, and the last hours before it hits Monday are always very sad. The only reason why I like Sunday nights is because that's when Mirai Nikki subs are usually out, though a lot of the time I have to wait until Monday for subs. I guess that makes it a highlight of Monday when that does happen, though. Good. Monday needs more highlights.**

**Note One: Get ready for the beginning of the end, which half begins this chapter**

**Note Two: Pace is picking up…**

**Note Three: My updates have increased, which is good. I am expecting to meet the deadline of the beginning of January at this rate. We'll see if school continues to be kind. That said, we have Thursday and Friday off. I don't know how much writing can be done on Monday and Tuesday. Monday, I have a test to study for, and Tuesday, I have a project to work on. A big one at that.**

**Note Four: Takes place around two to three days after the last chapter.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Coldness**

It was a sunny afternoon after school when Keiichi and Rena decided to go and visit the Furude Shrine, simply because the days until the Watanagashi were decreasing and Rena wanted to show him how things worked in advance. Sure, he had heard a lot about what happened during the Watanagashi, but Rena wanted to actually show him how it was set-up in advance. Keiichi had accepted, but he reminded her that he needed to get home so that Mion wouldn't be so lonely.

The two of them were now standing in front of the Furude Shrine, where a whole bunch of men were working on setting up the stage. The heavy restraining board had been positioned to the side of it, and there were two chairs set up to the side of that and positioned a little further up. They were also adding some decorations to the shrine, though Keiichi wasn't quite sure what they were and what purpose they served.

"This is where we stand when the execution takes place," Rena explained to him as she pointed towards the floor. "Right here. Usually, when people go to see movies or shows or anything similar, they always fight to get the front row seats. Here, people struggle to stand in the very back. No one wants to see someone get their guts ripped out right before their eyes."

Keiichi nodded as he bit his lip. The thought of that was disgusting him, naturally.

"No one is used to it, either. You'd think that people would become used to watching someone get their guts cut out if it happens every year, but…" Rena looked down at the ground and clenched her fists. "No one is used to it. Every year, it's practically a contest to see who can scream the loudest, the sacrifice or the audience. Everyone is forced to come, even the little children. Thankfully, Satoshi covers Satoko's eyes and Rika covers her ears, but… no one else has friends caring enough to do that. They want to shield themselves as best as they can, but protection in the form of someone else usually comes better."

Keiichi couldn't imagine having to see that when he was still a little boy. It would probably corrupt his mind and thoughts for a long, long period of time. How the children put up with it, he would never know.

Then again, the amount of children that were going to see the ceremony this year had a dramatic drop. Almost half of the children that had been there the year before were now kidnapped, and most likely dead. He really hoped that the Sonozaki family, who was in charge of picking someone, would be able to capture the man and use him as a sacrifice this year. It would be satisfying for a lot of the villagers to see such a cruel man die, even if it was disgusting.

Well, it would be nice to know he was dead. Keiichi just didn't want to see it.

"Lucky Satoko," commented Keiichi. "I feel bad for the other kids."

"No one covered my eyes when I was little…" muttered Rena sadly.

He hadn't been here when he was little, but Rena had. The poor girl probably had been traumatized by such an experience, though she certainly did show it. She was often a fun-loving girl who was very cheerful, but when a topic like this came up, she became grim and different from how she normal acted.

"You see those chairs up there?" Rena spoke, pointing to the two chairs. "That's where the head of the Sonozaki family, Oryou, sits. The one next to her chair is for the person who is going to be chosen to speak. It's different every year, but it's always someone from the Sonozaki family. The speech they give is sometimes different. They talk about The Legend of Makoto and Koichi, and then the victim themselves. It takes hours for them to finish…"

Keiichi wondered what they had to say about The Legend of Makoto and Koichi. It was probably about how terrible a person Makoto was and how heroic Koichi was for slaying her. However, knowing that that wasn't actually true made his heart hurt. It would be hard to listen to such a speech knowing the truth behind it.

"It's going to be a lot different for me this year, knowing who Makoto truly was. They describe her as being cruel and evil, but she really was just a young girl who wanted everyone to live in peace and be happy. Koichi just didn't believe her," she whispered so that no one else was able to hear her aside from the boy at her side. "I usually just ignore the speech because I don't find it very interesting, but now, I'm going to be thinking about how sad it is how no one understood who she was."

"What do they usually say?" Keiichi asked her.

Rena wore a grave look on her face. "How terribly cruel she was and how heroic Koichi's actions were. They call her a male, too… They also says some false thing about demons, like how they don't have emotions even know we know that they do." She gritted her teeth together at the thought. "They also speak about The Legend of the Hero, even though we know that the legend may not be as it seems now." She looked over to him. "Takeru told me."

"He's the Hero," whispered Keiichi.

Rena nodded. "I was shocked. I never expected it to be Takeru-kun. He explained why it was, too. I think that the tale that Koichi wrote explained this, because the information I received came from the village elders and the information that you received came from that book that you read, right? I guess since Koichi is one of the two who heard it, he should know the real tale." She looked up into the sky. "He told me that he feels as if the Watanagashi will be the point where everything comes to a close. He will reveal himself then."

"When is it?" Keiichi asked her.

"This Sunday. So… only a few days. It will not be long at all until it comes to a close… or so people are saying," she whispered to him, making sure that no one heard her. There were some people eyeing them, but aside from that, it seemed as if people were more focused on setting up the Furude Shrine for the Watanagashi than the two teenagers. "Kaede said it, Takeru-kun said it, Rika said it, her friend said it… it can't be nothing. It's going to happen."

"But a big piece of the puzzle is still missing. Who are the twins?" Keiichi asked, not even thinking about the idea of Mion and Shion being the twins. It couldn't be possible.

Rena shook her head. She had just as many ideas as Keiichi did. "I don't know, but Mion and Shion aren't evil."

"Of course not. I'll suppose the real villains will reveal themselves in time, and then Takeru will take care of it. I don't think we'll have a huge role in it at all, aside from maybe being one of the victims." He shuddered at the thought. Was he really going to die? Fear was high in his heart. Hopefully Takeru could save them before the twins, whoever they were, got to him and killed him.

Rena looked grave. "We may die, but Takeru-kun will put up a fight. No wait. He won't let me die. I'm his girlfriend, after all, even if I don't love him. I'm sure he'll fight for you, too," she whispered into his ear. That was one of the benefits of dating him, she supposed.

"Speaking of that, when will you tell him that you don't actually love him?" he asked her, steering the topic away from the Hero to something else that was rather important. It didn't involve saving Onigafuchi or anything like that, but it was still an important matter. She was stuck in a relationship that she didn't want to be in, and there was no sign of her dropping it. It hurt her, and it hurt poor Takeru, who genuinely believed that she loved him back.

Rena froze. "I will grow to love him. I've already decided that and it will become true." She showed no sign of giving up on the idea. "I will definitely grow to love him, and then we will be happy. There is no reason for me to stop dating him."

Keiichi wanted to snap her out of it. All she really wanted was to have a friendship with him, not a romantic relationship. With that in mind, there was no way in the world that Rena would grow to love Takeru. It just didn't work like that. You couldn't force love on yourself, then it wouldn't be real love. He now knew what real love felt like, and if he tried to force love on someone he didn't love, he knew it wouldn't feel the same as how he felt towards Mion when he was around her. He knew that was real love.

It was useless saying anything now. She would have to go further into their relationship… and then he would tell her that it wouldn't work when she didn't feel anything from that.

"…Rena, can I tell you something?" he asked her.

She looked a little confused and slightly curious, but she nodded. "Go ahead, Keiichi-kun. What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "Rena, I'm in love with Mion," he admitted to her. He needed to share it with someone, after all, and Rena was the only other person who knew about her and Keiichi staying together aside from Shion, who was missing and wouldn't understand anyways.

There was a look of shock on her face. "Keiichi-kun…" she gasped. "That's… I mean… I'm happy for you two and all, and I don't have a problem with it, but… what about everyone else? Mi-chan is a demon. No one is going to accept a human and a demon being romantically involved with one another."

He looked away. "I don't care. They don't have to know. I just want to be with Mion." There was a slight blush on his face as he thought about her. "I won't tell anyone if they won't accept us, but that doesn't mean I'm ever going to give up on her. I love her, Rena, and she loves me too. She doesn't know what it means quite yet… but… she says when she's around me, her heart beats fast as she gets this warm feeling. She also blushes as red as a tomato whenever she gets near me." He looked at her, a serious look in his blue eyes. "When I came home, she ran up to me and hugged me. She wouldn't let me go, Rena, and I didn't want her to let go either. We're in love, and I don't care if it's wrong or anything like that. To me, the fact that she's a demon is the last thing on my mind when I'm with her."

Rena listened intently to what he was saying, and at the end of his words, she simply smiled at him. "I'm happy for you two, Keiichi-kun. Don't let anyone else get in your way, okay? I'm sure you and Mi-chan can find happiness… somehow. Even if that means hiding your relationship and her from everyone else…"

"I don't want to hide her for much longer, Rena. I want her mother to meet her someday, and I want her to be accepted as human. When that happens, they will be able to accept the fact that we are in love." He had a determined look in his eyes, and he clenched his fists as he thought about this future. Mion had to become someone accepted so that she could gain the ultimate happiness. It had always been his goal from the moment he laid eyes on her, after all.

"Well, I want you to know that I'm accepting of your relationship. I hope you and Mi-chan get a happy ending, and I'm willing to help you in achieving that." She shot him a reassuring smile. "You can count on Rena for that!"

"Of course. Thank you, Rena," Keiichi said with a grin.

**~~~~X~~~~**

When Keiichi returned home later than he wished to, as it was around seven or so when he got back, he was instantly greeted by Mion's smiling face. She didn't run up and embrace him like she did last time, but the smile was enough for him to feel welcome. The hug had been more shocking than welcoming at first, though, as he really wasn't expecting such to happen. He sat down next to her, giving her an equally as warm smile.

"Hello, Mion. I'm sorry that I took so long. Rena and I went out to check out the Watanagashi grounds," he explained to her.

Mion's eyes widened at the mention of the Watanagashi, which made Keiichi wonder if she knew what that was. "When is the Watanagashi this year?" she asked.

Keiichi blinked. "This Sunday, so soon. Do you know what it is?"

The green-haired girl nodded her head instantly. "The Sonozaki family runs it, after all. They used to pick one of the demons each year to execute the criminal, but they have been borrowing Kimiyoshi demons since the death of all the other Sonozaki demons. They never picked us, though. I didn't know why until recently. I think it's because they don't want my… mother… to see me." She seemed uneasy at the mention of her mother. It had to be odd to refer to someone that way when she didn't know what a mother was until recently. She had never considered having one until Keiichi recently started talking about her.

Well, that certainly cut down on the explaining he had to do. "Well, you can see why I'd want to check out the grounds. It seems they are setting up for the execution, and everyone says that there's something coming… like the doom of Onigafuchi," he told her.

Mion looked out the window and out at the darkened sky, and then she turned back to Keiichi with a very stern look in her eyes, something that startled the boy. "I can feel it too, Kei-chan. There's something uneasy about the presence in the air. Everything has always felt cold and dark to me… but this is something colder and darker than usual…"

Keiichi shuddered. Mion felt it too, then. There had to be something coming, though he had already come to that conclusion a long time ago.

Mion looked uneasy, and there was darkness in her eyes, which seemed to be making her seem very sad. It was reminding her too much of the days where she would be locked up in the basement with nothing but her sister to warm here, the days when the only thing she could do was lay on the cold, hard floor and wait for someone to come to her to save her. It was making her unhappy, and because of that, it made Keiichi feel rather upset. He didn't like seeing Mion like this, especially since he had just rescued her and saved her from those terrible emotions for the most part.

He needed to cheer her up and change the subject.

"So, have you thought a little about what I told you?" Keiichi asked.

Mion looked confused. "About what that you told me?"

Keiichi pointed to the bracelet on her arm, and that was enough to spark her memory. She stared at it for a little while, poking it with her finger as she thought hard about the matter. She looked at Keiichi, her face flustering as she did so. "…It's that you're in love with me, right? I mean, I guess I understand… sort of."

Sort of wasn't enough for Keiichi. She needed to fully understand the meaning of his words. She needed to know what love was, so that they could both fully enjoy the feeling.

"Yes, I am in love with you, Mion. I love you so much," he told her gently, reaching out to touch her cheek gently, which instantly became red and warm at the feeling of his fingers brushed against it. He sighed as he looked into her eyes, which seemed uneasy and nervous. "I hope you'll understand someday how much you mean to me."

Mion looked down at her bracelet again. She was supposed to think about those words every time she looked at it, wasn't she? It was certainly helping her understand. She knew that the warm feeling was a romantic love, but it was still a little confusing to the girl. "Kei-chan, do you feel warm whenever you're with me? The romantic kind of warm?"

Keiichi nodded his head. "It feels just like how you feel. My heart beats loudly in my chest and my cheeks get all warm, and there's this very nice warm feeling inside of me. That's how love is, Mion, and because of that, I know that I'm in love with you."

What Mion did next surprised him. She reached out and touched his chest gently, moving to the spot where she could feel his heart beat within. To her surprise, it was really beating very fast, just like how hers was beating right now. She looked up into his eyes, which were staring at her happily. She looked back down to where her hand was on his chest, to where she could feel the beating feeling. She then used her other hand to touch her own chest, feeling the beat of her heart.

"It's the same feeling!" gasped Mion.

"It's the same feeling," replied Keiichi.

Mion looked a little conflicted. If he felt the same way, and that was love, then what did that mean for her? She looked down to her bracelet, and then remembered what he had said to her. He was in love with her, and he could tell that because of the warm feeling. It was a different warm feeling than the one she felt with Shion, so that warm feeling couldn't mean that she was in love with Shion. However, the warm feeling that Keiichi was talking about, the one with the beating heart, meant that she was in love with someone. So if she felt it when she was around Keiichi… did that mean that she was in love with him?

She tried to work this matter out in her head. She thought she had a good grasp on it now.

Just for confirmation, the girl pushed herself up against Keiichi and allowed the warm feeling to embrace her once again, causing her to forget about the doom that was enveloping the village and the uneasy feeling she was getting from it, along with the hollow void that was left from her sister not being with her. Her heart was indeed beating fast, and she could now feel his heart beat against her chest. She looked at Keiichi's cheeks, and found that his face was redder than usual. She didn't have a mirror, so she didn't know if her cheeks were red, but they certainly felt warm.

This was the romantic kind of love, wasn't it? So that meant that she was in love with him.

Keiichi didn't say anything as Mion tried to work things out. Though he had to say, the position she was in against him was making him feel slightly awkward. Her breasts were pressed right up against him as she tried to feel his heart beat against her own, and it was causing his face to get redder than usual. He felt like he should say something, but he decided against it. She didn't understand why her position would be considered a little odd, anyways.

She pulled away from him and blinked up at him with stunned eyes.

"Kei-chan…" she whispered. "I…"

Keiichi blinked at her. "Yes?"

"…I sort of get it now."

Keiichi's face broke out into a grin. "Mion," he whispered as he embraced her tightly, wrapping his arms around her tightly as if to congratulate her on figuring things out. She said sort of, but that was probably because the emotions were a little overwhelming. She would get over that eventually with more time.

She snuggled against him, not feeling shy about it at all. It felt warm, nice and warm. She felt one of his hands moving up towards her hair, and then his fingers running through her long, green ponytail. She didn't know why he was doing it, but it was very comforting to her, and it made her feel a little better. By now, she had completely forgotten about the dark that was beginning to envelop the whole village, and that dark not just being the night that was now spreading through the sky. It felt as if the downfall she was sensing wasn't even there anymore.

Suddenly, Mion froze up and stiffened in the embrace, startling Keiichi. Her eyes were wide with fear, though he didn't know why.

"Mion…?" he asked.

"…I heard something from downstairs," she told him.

Keiichi hadn't heard a thing, but he looked towards the door anyways. He listened carefully, but all he heard was pure silence. Maybe Mion had imagined it. Yet, at the same time, he didn't let go of the girl. After a few minutes, he looked back towards the girl. He hadn't heard a thing.

"You probably imagined it, Mion," he told her gently as he pulled her closer, trying to comfort her and make her forget about whatever she thought she had just heard. She seemed scared for some reason.

"Was that really it?" sighed Mion as she closed her eyes and tried to forget about what he had just said. Keiichi wondered why she gave up on the idea so easily, but it was probably because she too didn't hear anything after it, and that he didn't hear it in the first place. He relaxed as he continued to hold her in his embrace. He didn't know why he was making this last so long, but he felt as if he was chasing the cold away by holding her like this. It was comforting to the both of them, who had just experienced something traumatizing in their lives.

Mion was missing her sister. Keiichi's parents had died. Holding each other like this made them forget about it, and it was comforting to the two of them. That was why neither of them wanted to let go of each other, even though their hold had lasted a very long amount of time. To Keiichi, it looked as if she had begun to fall asleep.

Keiichi smiled warmly at her, clear affection in his eyes. He really loved this girl…

And then, suddenly, the mood was shattered.

"My, my, is that how things are with the two of you?" a familiar voice spoke out, a voice that caused both of them to grow stiff in their embrace and their eyes to grow wide.

Keiichi slowly turned his head around, his heart beating fast, but this time not with the feeling of warmth. It was now beating with the emotion of pure, undeniable fear.

"…You…" was all Keiichi managed to say as he stared at the figure.

In the doorway was the mysterious man cloaked in a robe, a hat over his eyes, making his identity completely unknown. It was the same hat and coat that he had worn during their last encounter, where his parents had been murdered Shion separated from the group, though thankfully not captured. This was enough to make his arms drop to the side, his long and warm embrace with Mion meeting its end very, very, very quickly, though the warmth had disappeared the moment his voice had been heard.

Mion had heard something. It was the man entering the house with ease.

"This is disgusting," sneered the man. "I always thought it was gross that you actually felt bad for the demons, but this is going to far. A demon and a human… that's just wrong and messed up. You really do love demons a little too much, don't you?"

Keiichi felt rage burn in every part of his body. How dare the man say something like that? "It's not gross!" he snapped at him.

If he could see the man's face, Keiichi was sure that he would be rolling his eyes right about now. "Oh yeah, huh? Well, we'll see what everyone says when you end up impregnating her with a human-demon spawn. The entire village would shun you. And when she gives birth, that _thing_ would be the most disgusting creation ever, and it would surely die. How gross. I can't imagine what a human-demon _thing_ would look like. It would be hideous."

Mion stood up instantly, rage and hate burning in her eyes. "YOU!" she screamed out. "YOU SEPERATED ME FROM MY SISTER! YOU KILLED HIS PARENTS!"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I did. And you expected me not to return after finding the location of you two? I don't know where Number Twenty-Eight is, but at least I found you, Number Twenty-Seven." He sneered as he spoke those words.

"Those aren't our names!" screeched Mion. "I'm not Number Twenty-Seven, I'm a free demon! My sister certainly isn't Number Twenty-Eight, either! She's a free demon, too!"

"You are not a free demon, those don't exist. Besides, all that happened was that this boy stole you," he spat in disgust as he looked at him. "And now, it looks like the two of you have fallen in love with each other. That's just sick. I can't wait to be dealing with a bunch of human-demon hybrids. The demons were gross enough. I can't imagine such a filthy thing combined with the blood of a pure human. But that's not the reason why I came here. I'm getting off topic." The man reached a hand down one of his sleeves and pulled out a sharp knife. There was some blood on it, presumably the blade having cut him from keeping it up his sleeve. "I'm going to finish what I started."

They had no time to react. In seconds, the man had already ran at the two of them with the knife, and Keiichi could feel his feet stick to the ground, as if someone had glued him down right in that spot. However, right before the man could do anything, Mion tackled him out of the way, causing the knife to lodge within her skin instead. She let out a cry of panic and pain as she grabbed the man around the wrist and tried to make him pull the knife right out.

"Mion!" screeched Keiichi. This was the man who had killed eight demons and fought off many others. Killing Mion would be easy for a man with such skill.

The man removed the knife from her stomach. "Oops, that was a little too much. I can't have you dying. The head of the Sonozaki family oh so desperately wants you back."

Keiichi didn't know what to do. It would be hard to fight the man off, but he couldn't let him take Mion just like that! There had to be a way!

"Mion! The katana!" he cried, pointing to the wall. He then ran into the man and gave him a good punch in the back, which unfortunately had little effect with how little training he had gotten in terms of fighting and how big and hulking the man was compared to him. He had to have had a ton of muscles. It seemed as if the man didn't even feel anything.

But it certainly did distract him. He turned around and punched Keiichi right back, though this one had much more effect than his had had. Keiichi felt his whole body stumbled backwards and he cried out with the pain, but he tried to endure it as best as he could. He had to stay there and distract the man so that Mion could grab her katana. Sure, she was good at fighting without a weapon, but a katana could sure do a lot of damage with how sharp the blade of it was.

Keiichi, with some blood trickling from his mouth, punched the man again, once again having little effect. But as he saw the man's hand lunge forward to punch him again, he reached for his wrist and held it tightly, preventing the blow from reaching him. He had learned little about how to fight, but he had learned that grabbing someone's wrist was a good way to go.

He stepped forward and kneed the man right in the groin, causing him to cry out in pain and stumble backwards. He smirked in satisfaction. He wasn't good at fighting, but at least he could do something to help Mion fight this man off. He couldn't allow him to do anything!

And what he did certainly worked well. Mion had gotten the katana out of the sheath and was now running behind his back, and with a quick slash, she managed to cut his back. In a rage, the man turned around and punched the girl without thinking, though it only managed to barely hit her shoulder. She was acting fast, determination burning within her. She couldn't lose again! After all, she _hated_ losing.

Keiichi grabbed the man from behind, wrapping his arms around his back, though it was pretty much useless as he managed to easily break away from his grip with how strong he was combined with how big he was. Keiichi looked around the room frantically for something that he could use as a weapon. Even if he wasn't trained, he needed a way to help out Mion in her attack.

Mion continued to fight off the man with swings of her katana, which he was dodging despite the deep wound in his back. His knife hadn't done much damage to her, thankfully. A demon's healing truly was something amazing. He probably didn't dig the knife too deep within her, seeing as his goal wasn't to kill her and rather to capture her. He had to wonder how the man managed to fight despite the wound in his back. No normal human could do that!

Keiichi grabbed a large textbook and slammed the man in the back with it, causing more blood to spurt out from his wound. He turned around without thinking and punched him blindly in the face, his hat in his eyes finally getting the better of him. It was important for him to conceal his identity, but the hat over his eyes was really restricting how he could fight. It made Keiichi wonder how he could see through it in the first place.

He rubbed his sore cheek, though kept a grip on the heavy book in his hand. It was hard for him to hold it in one hand, and it was beginning to be a little too much for him…

The man went right back to Mion and the two of them engaged in combat once again. Mion swung at him with the katana, but he managed to catch the side of the blade between the palms of his hand, the blade cutting into a part of his hand and drawing quite a bit of blood, though the rest uninjured. He seemed to not care about this injury, though. If he held the katana with strength pressing into it, she couldn't do very much, though he couldn't either.

Keiichi saw this as an opening. He rammed the textbook into the man's side again, causing him to tilt to the side and the blade of the katana to dig further into the man's skin. A large scream was emitted, and Keiichi hoped that no one was nearby and if they were, they didn't hear or take notice of it. He was sure that everyone outside would be able to hear such a loud scream. A katana was sharp, after all. It could easily cut through someone, and the pain caused by it doing so must be unbearable. Keiichi himself had never been wounded like that, so he wouldn't know, but from the action movies and books that he read, he was sure that it would cause him a great deal of pain.

The man turned to Keiichi, and though his eyes were unseen, he knew that the man was gazing at him with hatred and pure rage. "You…" he hissed at the boy. "You're a fool. You're really getting in the way of this fight… you know that, right?" He turned to the man, leaving his back open again.

Before, the three of them, Mion, Shion, and Keiichi, were too stunned by the appearance and they weren't thinking properly, especially after the death of his parents, and his parents himself were to stunned by the appearance of the demons to find themselves. Things did not go in their favor. But even though they were shocked, the two of them were now composed, making this man not too hard of a target. By his distractions, Mion was able to injure him, and when he was fighting Mion, he could distract him. It was an endless cycle. With the two of them, they could do anything. If the fight kept up in this way, and in their favor, the two of them could very well beat this man and uncover his identity. Keiichi had to admit that that hat he was wearing was very large. He couldn't get a glimpse at his eyes. If he were to knock him down, they could lift up his hat and find out who he was once and for all. Then, they could turn him in, and he would be executed at the Watanagashi.

While the idea of getting someone's stomach ripped open was sick, Keiichi realized he wouldn't mind too much if it were the man before him, if he managed to look away and not watch as his guts were removed. Just knowing that he had died brutally would make up for all the things he had done. They just had to keep this up.

Mion slashed at him once again, but this time, the man saw it coming and jumped out of the way. Keiichi took a few steps back, Mion's katana nearly slashing through him. He had to be very careful around Mion, as he certainly didn't want to get hit with that katana. It would put them at a huge disadvantage.

Mion ran towards him, but this time, the man just dodged with skill. He appeared behind Keiichi's back, much to his surprise, and he felt the hands grasp onto the textbook he had been hitting the man with. Eyes wide, he turned around to look at the man. He tried to punch the man, but his hulking figure was too well built for him to do much damage with a single punch.

"You're getting in the way. Please go away."

The next thing Keiichi felt was the textbook ram into his head with brutal strength, and the next thing he saw was black overtaking his vision and mind.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Slowly, Keiichi's eyes opened, but the black was still clouding parts of his vision. Dizziness overtook him as he tried to stand up, and the boy simply lay down on the floor, breathing heavily as he tried to regain himself. Thoughts and memories refused to come to mind as he tried to think about what had happened, and how he had ended up on the floor, passed out.

It took a little while for Keiichi to regain himself, and he staggered to his feet. He looked about the room, finding that it was covered in puddles and splashes of blood. Instantly, the memory of the man walking in and attacking them came to him mind, and how the man had grabbed his textbook and hit him over the head with strength that could only be described as inhuman. Keiichi realized he was lucky to only have passed out. He could have suffered serious memory loss. Looking about the room, he tried to spot the figures of Mion and the man, but found that he could not.

Had they gone downstairs? Keiichi dragged himself down to the first floor on heavy legs, looking about the kitchen as he did so. The place seemed to be clean of any blood the first time he looked about, meaning that they had not gone downstairs and fought. There was only blood upstairs. He became thoroughly confused as he looked about the room even more.

Then he spotted it. It was a trail of blood leading out the door and onto the paths of Onigafuchi. Shocked, the boy ran towards it and to the unlocked door, which caused Keiichi to wonder how the man had managed to get in in the first place. He shook that thought out of his head as he pulled it open, revealing the trail of blood continuing on down the paths. Panic filled his heart, causing it to beat faster than ever before. He was scared, scared out of his mind.

He turned around slowly, noticing that the trail of blood was coming from up the stairs. He didn't even bother to think about how he could have missed it before, his mind was in too much of a panic. Turning around, the boy walked back up the stairs into his bloodstained room.

And when he did, he began to rummage about the room. Was Mion hiding somewhere? Panic was filling his eyes quickly as he threw his futon to the side and began to dig through various things, even though he knew it was stupid of him. There was no way a body like Mion's could be hiding under things that were flat on the ground. He turned to the wardrobe and looked under it, hoping that someone would be there, but he found that no one was.

There was more fear in his heart, causing his logic to get all confused. He wasn't even thinking now as he ran down the stairs and began to look under every couch, ever chair, every single piece of furniture he could find for Mion. And yet, try as he might, he could not find the girl anywhere. He ran into the kitchen and looked on the ground, in the small storage areas, and anywhere that he could find.

And when he looked on the counter, he found a sheet of paper, one that had certainly not been there before.

He picked it up. On the sheet of paper were five words.

"I'll be back for you."

His heart rate was now at a dangerous level as he placed the sheet down, realizing what it meant. The man had written it. He was going to come back for him, who he had not been able to capture this time around.

But he had gotten someone else.

Fear was present in every single nerve in his body. Did the man really capture Mion? Running outside as fast as he could, he began to look behind the house, where they would usual play whenever they got the chance to. Maybe she was just hiding. Maybe this was all some kind of joke. The man couldn't have captured Mion! There was no way that his Mion would lose to anyone! She was so determined. She could beat anyone. That's what she said, right? Right? Then she had to be playing some kind of joke! Mion was a lover of all kinds of games. This was just another one of her games… right?

He looked in the flowerbeds, in the bushes, and behind the trees. These were spots she would use to hide whenever they played tag outside. Well, not the flowerbeds, but ever other spot was a good hiding place for tag or any other kind of game. The flowerbeds weren't something that could be used, as it would kill the flowers, but there was a chance…!

She wasn't there.

He ran into the forest and looked about, screaming her name as he looked about. This was the same place where they had run into when they had first been attacked. At this point in time, he didn't care if anyone was around to hear him. He just needed to find Mion.

"MION!" he screamed out as he looked behind trees and anywhere else he could find in the forest. "MION! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Try as he might, he couldn't find Mion anywhere in the forest. But the boy refused to give up. She was just playing a game with him, after all. He ran deeper into the forest, in all directions, hoping that she would hear him. He had found her before when he called for them, though he did manage to lose Shion. But this was different. Mion was nearby, wasn't she?

He was now running in random directions through the forest. He didn't even know where he was going. He hadn't been in this part of the forest ever. But he didn't care. He just needed to find Mion and end this silly game.

"MION! PLEASE COME!" he screamed out. "I KNOW THIS IS A GAME, BUT IT'S GOTTEN TOO SERIOUS!"

Mion probably didn't want to come out. She always wanted to win, after all.

"OKAY, MION! I CAN'T FIND YOU! YOU WIN!" he yelled out. "SO COME OUT! YOU KNOW, IF YOU COME OUT NOW, IT MEANS I LOSE! _SO JUST COME OUT_!"

He looked about some more, frantically, when she didn't respond to his cries. Was she really so wanting to win this game that she didn't want to come out, even if he said that she would win if she did? He couldn't believe how messed up his thoughts were. He didn't even realize that bitter tears were trickling down his face as his mind and heart were beginning to realize the truth, though not accepting it. No, that wasn't it. He had known the truth from the very beginning. He just refused it.

Mion was gone.

The man had got her.

Screaming out in frustration and bitter realization, the boy rammed his hand into the bark of the tree, his mind giving up on refusing the truth when he had known it all along. This was not a game. This was reality. She wasn't hiding so that she could win again… she was _gone. _Tears cascaded down his face as he realized that she was probably being taken back to the Sonozaki basement, where she would be locked up and never allowed out. She would never see the moon or sun again. And not only that, but she would be all alone, without the warm feeling she relied on so much.

After all this work, everything was lost. She would forget what happiness was when she was locked in the basement with nothing but sorrow and cold to fill her emotions, and she would never be able to taste meat often ever again. Maybe Shion would remain free, and she would be locked back up forever, never to see the face of her sister again, doomed to bare the number Twenty-Seven forever.

Maybe she would forget about the warm feeling all together.

But that wasn't possible… was it? It was such a strong emotions. But in the basement, where it was so barren of anything but cold darkness, she would forget.

Maybe she would forget about him, and how in love they had been.

Maybe she would forget about her sister.

Maybe she would forget about Rena.

Maybe she would forget the emotions she had learned.

Maybe she would forget what the color of the sky was.

Maybe she would forget about the games they played together.

Maybe she would forget her own name.

Maybe she would forget all but the cold of the basement and all those horrid emotions that came with it.

He didn't want her to forget. They had work so hard for this. And now… everything would just fall apart. He rammed his fist into the tree bark again, this time with more brutal strength. That wasn't just it, either. They would never be able to see each other again, and he himself would never be able to feel the warm feeling he got around her.

He remembered her warm smiling face that greeted her upon his return that day, and then a few days ago, where she had embraced him tightly and didn't let him go. He thought back to the time where they had played _Clue,_ and how she had been able to come up with a strategy on her firs time playing, and then her victorious smirk. He recalled the first time that they had played Go Fish together, when she was still locked in the basement. He remembered how her personality had changed and how happy she had gotten when playing it. She had always had strange tactics to win those kinds of things.

She was a wonderful person, and he loved her deeply. And now, she was gone.

Defeated and in tears, the boy stumbled back to his house. He didn't know what he would do now that she was gone. He had gotten used to sleeping next to her at night, even if it had only been a few days since they started to do that. Without her cheerful smile to greet him each morning, each day would begin dully and depressingly, just like how things were when he had been in Tokyo. Each day was a boring day, because the only goal he had in his mind was to do well in school. He had nothing to do in life other than to solve math problems and get As on tests and exams. That had been his only joy in life, and even then, he had begun to dread studying so much after a while.

But Mion… she had given him a goal in life, a reason to push onwards and become someone new. Never did he think we would become someone like the person he was now, striving to teach someone how life worked and the world around her. And never did he think that he would fall in love with the same girl. Love had never been something he had considered when he was back there. It just seemed like something silly to him.

Mion had really changed who he was. And now he would never see her face again.

He staggered up the steps to his room and collapsed onto the futon after flickering the lights off. He didn't feel like eating. He wasn't hungry. He buried his body into the sheets, shutting his eyes and trying to get some sleep.

But the void of coldness was there now that he had gotten used to sleeping next to her, feeling her warmth.

He wondered if she too was feeling the same thing. Perhaps she was now curled up on the cold, hard floor of the Sonozaki basement, trying to sleep without the warm feeling that her sister had provided for her, and the warm feeling he had given her after the two were separated. How would she sleep without the warm feeling, whether it was romantic or non-romantic? It had been something she depending on all her life, something that she had always known to be beside her as she slept.

There was one thing that was for sure in his mind at that moment.

Neither of them would be getting any sleep that night.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**I hope my fighting scene was better than the weak one last time. I don't know what to think about it. It's one of the times where I can't judge my own work. I sometimes have a lot of problems with that, because when I can judge it, it's usually negative even though I know deep in my mind that it's probably not as bad as I think it is. Though it is some of the time, like last time. So I hope that this was okay, and a lot better compared to the last one. You be the judge.**

**This is the first time in a while that I upload a chapter on a Monday that is a school day and not a day off. Maybe it's the first time this fanfiction. I tend to talk a lot about the days of the week… now don't I? Monday is a very significant day, as it marks the start of the school week. No one likes Mondays. I said the only highlight was that sometimes Mirai Nikki subs are released then, but they were up last night, so no highlights today.**

**This chapter was certainly significant. You can see why just by reading it. I mean, here's a big turning point. I can't say what will become of this, but I hope to get several chapters up soon. I have off Thursday and Friday, so that's good. I have next week and then I have Winter Break. I'm sure I can reach my deadline. That said, I hope you enjoy what I have in mind…**

**By the way, please review this chapter. I have noticed I'm getting less and less reviews for each chapter, which is really sad. I mean, I got a ton of reviews for the beginning of BFB and GED, more than most people, and I know it's greedy for me to ask for more than the ones I'm getting now, but I really have been noticing the odd decrease in reviews. Really, guys. It motivates me to do more. I really, really, really want to know what you thought about this chapter in terms of how it's going to go from here, and how good this chapter was in terms of the fighting and writing in general. So please… review! If you review, I will get you an action figure of Mion! There's a good reward! I feel like my rewards have been lame recently. Not that they're real. Their just virtual, but we can pretend, right? Pointing out typos will get you a gigantic cookie, or anything else if you don't like cookies. That's all the cafeteria at my school has in terms of dessert these days. They've been trying to become healthier. They recently got rid of chocolate muffins and replaced them with grilled cheese, which was irritating since the chocolate muffins were so good. The sparkling juice was gone this morning, and if they permanently get rid of it because they want to look better, I will be very, very, very, very, very, very, **_**very**_** upset. Those are the only reason why the cafeteria is any good. I bring my own lunch…**

**~Crimso**


	31. Chapter 30: Loss of All Hope

**Crimso's Notes**

**So once again, I am in science class after taking a test. You may be thinking "Crimso, why in the world are chapters started in class so often? And why do you inform us of this?" Well, one is that I usually have periods in class with no work to do aside from this, and two is that… well, I don't know. I need something to say here. Well, I think my test went all right. I always forget how to show the bonds between elements, though. I mean, I know the types and what they do and why, but I forget how to draw them. Well, I hope I did all right with that. I did something I remember doing before.**

**Note one: This chapter will have many scenes in different places.**

**Note two: Watanagashi is approaching very fast. Keep this in mind.**

**Note three: More info in this chapter, but action in next. Keep in mind everything here is important, like usual.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty: Loss of All Hope**

When Mion woke up, all she felt around her was cold darkness. She could remember this darkness, this coldness, but it had been ones that she had been hoping to forget about over time. Unfortunately, that darkness and coldness had now come back when she thought that she would never experience such a thing again. When she escaped from the cell of the basement, she believed it to be the last time she would ever be met with such a feeling. Oh, how wrong she had been.

Her eyes shot open as she looked before her, finding one of the servants standing there with a smirk on his face. She was located in the back room of a spare cell that was kept next to the wooden door that lead to the main room away from the other cells that she recognized from previous experiences, and for some reason she could not point out; the door had been closed. It was a great metal door and she could not hear anything that was going on behind the door. She looked at the servant with scared, wide eyes.

"How nice of you to come back, Number Twenty-Seven," the servant greeted her sarcastically. "We missed you so much when you were gone. Now where did you happen to run off to? Nice horns, by the way. Those are new." He smirked as he looked at the top of her head, to the white horns that had grown quite large over the last few days.

She didn't say a word.

"Oh well, I'm sure the person that captured you can answer everything for us. Just give me a moment and I'll be back." The servant creaked the door open and stepped out, closing and locking it instantly.

She was now all alone in her cell, her whole vision covered by darkness and the cold feeling of being completely alone. While it wasn't particularly dark, she felt like her whole world was painted black, even though she could see the world perfectly well through her green eyes. She was breathing heavily as she looked around, looking for someone, anyone that was there to comfort her in some way.

But there was no one. They hadn't captured her sister and Keiichi wasn't captured along side of her. She was now all alone. The warm feeling that had been beside her when she was in her cell with her sister was now nothing, leaving only the cold feeling behind. Her whole world was in the middle of a winter storm, a winter storm in the middle of the night.

Fear overtook her like never before. She had always thought about how things would be without her sister in her cell with her, and she was now actually experiencing it. She realized only now how much she relied on her for her survival. She had always said to herself if it weren't for her sister, she would have probably been asked to be murdered by her master. Now, she really was wishing that her master would just walk in here right now and kill her. The coldness of death was better than the coldness of being completely alone in a boring, dark cell.

She let out screams and cries as she banged her fists against the wall of her cell. This area in the back of her cell had no bars; it was simply enclosed by a steel door and thick stonewalls. She could not see the world outside of her cell right now, even if it was only the dark of the basement. The lock was on the other side of the door, so there was no way that she would be able to get out. Trying to break down the metal door was just silly, and the walls weren't going to break anytime soon.

She let out a whimper as she curled up in a ball, hoping to give herself some warm by lying down in such a way. She had gotten warmth from being close to someone, so being close to her own body should help a little… right?

It didn't work, though. No comfort was given by lying in this way. She shifted about, hoping that she would get the warm feeling somehow. It didn't work no matter what position she tried to be in. She was getting very uncomfortable lying on the stone floor like that. It could not compare to the soft, warm blankets of the futon. It was cold and hard, a place where no one would want to sleep on. Mion really wished that she could have a futon so that she could at least be somewhat comfortable, but she knew that the servants would not comply with such a wish. They believed that demons didn't need things like futons to keep themselves comfortable and warm. Up until recently, she didn't even know what her own face looked like because she had never been able to look in a mirror or own one. Glancing to the side, she realized that the mirror Keiichi had given her was still there. The servant was to come soon, so she didn't want to grab it and cause him to notice and wonder where she had gotten such an object from.

She grumbled as she shifted on the floor, hoping that she would be able to get some comfort somehow. However, there was little comfort available in a cold, dark place like the placement, be it the feeling she got around her from emotions or the material that made up the spot she was lying on.

Suddenly, she heard the clicking of the door being unlocked and then moments later the door being slammed open. Mion picked her head up as she looked at the figure before her, which happened to be none other than a very, very, very angry Oryou and a servant behind her.

"Servant, close the door and make sure she does not get out!" she yelled out as she stepped into the back room, then moving to stare at the girl in front of her with eyes full of anger like Mion had never seen before. The servant did as he was told, and the door was closed, the servant standing in front of the metal door to make sure that she didn't attempt to run around the old woman when she was in the room and escape once again.

Oryou's eyes were fierce, and it was enough to make Mion's heart race increase with pure fear.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU DOING, YOU DEMON?" snapped Oryou, startling the poor demon.

Mion hesitated. What was she supposed to say?

"I demand to know everything that happened! Start from the beginning!" hissed Oryou.

She hesitated again. She didn't know what to tell her.

"Well, go on! Explain everything."

She said nothing.

"Fine then. Tell me about how you got out," she ordered.

Mion didn't want to say anything about that. It would get Keiichi in trouble.

Oryou was not pleased at all with the silence. "Okay then, why don't you start by explaining about why you were cuddled up with a human male when you were found?" she growled.

Mion didn't know what to tell her about that. If she were to explain the feelings she got when she was outside, the feelings that she was not supposed to know about, then she would be punished. Demons weren't allowed to know what the meaning of words like happy, sad, and love were, so if she were to use any of them, then she would be hurt badly for learning about them. Of course, she would then have to explain who told her about them.

"…I…I...I…I…" That was the only thing she could find the words to say.

"Demon, if you don't explain in five seconds… then I'll punish you in the most brutal way I can think of."

She bit her lip as she tried to think of the simplest way she could explain without using the words that Keiichi taught her. All emotion use was banned from her vocabulary. It was strange, she thought, how it was almost impossible not to use them now that she knew what they were, while back then she could easily not use them. How did she speak back then? How did she manage to avoid using such strong and powerful words? She couldn't even remember. These emotions had become such a part of her that she could not explain something without using how she felt, especially when it came to the identity of the warm feeling Oryou was now asking her to explain. What would she think if she knew the truth?

Then she realized that there was no point in hiding it. So what if she got beat up? Not saying such words would be accepting that she was no more than a demon who could not understand emotions, a demon who was overpowered by humans. She knew better than those demons. And besides, if that was what it meant to be a demon, then she was not a demon.

"Because of the warm feeling I get when I'm around him," she explained.

Oryou raised an eyebrow. "The warm feeling?" she repeated.

That was the simple way to put it, hopefully to calm her down before she said her next words.

"Because I love him," she clarified.

That was it. All the rage and fury in the world must have come to Oryou all at once for her eyes were blazing with anger hotter than the embers of a burning fire, looking hot enough to cause anyone she looked at to ignite and burn into a pile of ash. She balled her fists tightly as she clenched her teeth together, getting ready to release all her rage onto the girl.

"You… you… YOU FOOL! " Her screams echoed through the small room. "How dare you get close to a human in such a way! And how in the world did you learn about such a thing? You demons should not know what the meaning of such a word is!" Her voice blazed with fury. "Why you little brat! I should have just killed you the moment I first laid eyes on you!"

Mion tried her best not to be intimidated by her, but it was very tough. Oryou was a very scary person. "I don't care!" she screamed. "You say that demons should not know what emotions are, but I do! All demons do! It's your twisted images that made demons look the way they are. You know what? I don't care about your hold on me. So what if I used to be a Sonozaki demon? I'm not Number Twenty-Seven! My name is Mion! I'm a free demon now, and you have no more hold on what I do. That boy saved me from your clutches. He taught me games, and it made me very happy_._ You know, I was shocked when I first explored the world, but it was very enjoyable to be out there with the sister I loved so much! And I learned things that you could have never taught me, the world you tried to hide from me! But your grip on me did not stay. I now know things, and there's nothing you can do about it! You're just weak and afraid that people will find out who I am." This woman was related to her. What was the word for that, again? Keiichi had said it before. It meant the mother of someone's mother. "Isn't that right, _Grandmother_?"

Speaking that one word was like pouring gasoline on her already blazing flame of rage. Her eyes sparked with fury and disbelief as she stared at her granddaughter's stern face, a small smirk of triumph on her face. There was no way that her grandmother's rules would bind her anymore. She needed to claim this happiness for herself.

"…You… how in the world did you find out…!" she yelled out to the girl.

"I just did. You're my grandmother. You stole Shion and I from my mother when we were born because you thought we were cursed and then you turned us into demons and kept us down here. You were too soft to kill us, both times. Because we're you're granddaughters, " she explained, seeing disbelief painting her grandmother's face with each word she spoke more about the subject. "Now I know who I am, and there's nothing you can do about it! I was once human, and I've become human again! There's no way in the world I'm letting myself stay down here!"

Fury seemed to be getting the best of Oryou, and she was practically burning in her own rage now.

"How dare you find out! ? How dare you say such a thing to me! ? It doesn't matter if you were once human, you are demon now, whether or not you are my granddaughter!" She howled out. "Servant!" she yelled as she turned to the man beside her with harsh eyes. Even he seemed to be scared of how much anger she had within her. "Get me my katana! I swear to Oyashiro-sama that I'm going to do it this time! I'm really going to kill this girl! I will show her that I am not soft and that I can really do it!"

Mion's eyes went wide, but she tried to remain calm. Would Oryou really kill her? In her mind, she was soaring back through time, her line of sight being replaced by her own when she was much younger, when she had made her first attempt on their lives.

_The usually lively Sonozaki basement was now tainted with the smell of death and painted with crimson blood splattered about the walls. Dead bodies of demons, demons who were loyal to the Sonozaki family and their master, were in every single cell._

_ Two young demons, given the numbers Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight sat in the back of the room, their cell the last one in the whole basement. They watched with wide eyes as the head of the Sonozaki family stood in front of the cell closest to them. The demons within the cell writhed in fear as they stared up at the old woman, her katana stained with blood from the demons she had killed. She had ordered them not to protect themselves, so there was nothing that they could do to save themselves, and nothing that they could do as the old woman brought the blade of her katana down on the head of a demon._

_ The demon next to the now dead demon yelped as he stared as his fallen comrade. He stared back at Oryou, just in time to get a quick look at her before he too was met by the shining blade of the katana. The final demon in the cell wanted to run, but she knew that she could not. The silver of the sword was the last thing that she saw._

_ Now, only two demons of the thirty-five Sonozaki demons remained. Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight were holding each other tightly as they looked up at the old woman who was approaching them quickly, the katana in her hand. They could both feel tears form up in their eyes when they realized that she would not spare them. She hadn't even spared Kenji, her head demon and most trusted of all of them. There was no way that they would be spared if he hadn't been._

_ Oryou unlocked the cell and stepped inside of it, holding her katana over the heads of the two girls. Number Twenty-Seven clutched onto her sister tighter, realizing that it would be the last time that they would be together. They were both going to die. Even if the basement was cold, they didn't want to leave each other._

_ A young boy stood in the corner, his eyes wide as he watched the old woman murder all of his demons. He was around two years younger than the young demons in the cell and he had forest green hair and eyes. He had been yelling the whole time, screaming at her to stop murdering the demons, but he was strangely silent now, simply staring at the whole scene with horrified eyes as he realized his grandmother was really going to kill the two of them._

_ She closed her eyes as she positioned for the kill. If she swung down, she could easily murder the both of them in seconds._

_ The twin demons held each other closer. This was their last time together. These were to be the last moments of their lives._

_ But the blade never came down._

_ "Takeru, I've grown weak," the old woman spoke to the boy in the corner. "I cannot kill these two, even if I wanted to."_

_ The boy looked surprised. "But Grandmother…!"_

_ "I know, Takeru, I know. But no matter how hard I try, even if I tried again now or years later, I will never be able to kill those two. That I am sure of."_

Those words burned sharply in Mion's mind. There was no way that the woman before her would kill her. She had said herself that it wasn't possible, even if it was years from that moment.

That's why she faced her fears as the servant handed her katana, the sword glistening just as Mion remembered it. In her heart and in her mind, she knew that her grandmother would not be able to bring that sword down on her head, even if she wished for it. She stared up at the old woman with determination in her eyes. There was no way that she would be afraid of that blade, even if it looked as if it was about to take her life.

Oryou positioned the sword above Mion's head, and she stared at it, seeing her own reflection in the blade. She realized that her eyes had strength in them that she had never seen before, a challenging look that told her to take on the fear before her as if it wasn't even happening. And that was exactly what was happening. She was not afraid of the old woman.

She stared down at the demon that was her granddaughter and clutched the sword tightly. There was also determination in her eyes, the determination to kill the demon before her after two failed attempts. And she was sure she would do it this time.

The sword was brought down, causing Mion's eyes to widen. She wouldn't… would she?

But the sword stopped inches above her head, and the old woman sighed as she drew the sword back. She looked over to the servant and handed him the sword. "Just forget about this, servant. The scene before you didn't even happen," she told him, not wanting to seem weak before a servant. The servant nodded in acceptance and walked out of the room, the katana in his hands.

Mion looked triumphant as she stared at the head of the Sonozaki family. She had defeated her for a third time.

Oryou kept her angered face on, pretending like she hadn't just failed to kill her granddaughter for the third time in a row. She did not want to seem weak, even though Mion knew that she secretly was. This woman had tried to kill her three times, and each time she had been unable to bring herself to do it, simply because she was her granddaughter, even if she had been turned into a demon and tossed in a cell.

When the servant returned, Mion noticed a chain leash and a roll of duct tape in his hand. "Good, you knew what I wanted you to do next. You know what to do, then," she told him. "I'll leave the rest to you."

Oryou gave Mion one last angered look as she stormed out of that cell, enraged and embarrassed that she had shown her soft side in front of one of her twin granddaughters and a servant.

The servant smirked at the demon girl as he walked over to the wall and hooked the chain onto a hook in the back. He duct taped the part of the chain used to open and close it so that the girl wouldn't use her hands to undo it, and then he lunged towards Mion with the other end. She let out a large yelp as the man clicked the other side of the chain to her collar, then wrapping that in duct tape. It would be hard to get all the tape off. Mion moved a claw to the back of it and tried scratching at it, but it was just too much.

She scrambled as she tried to undo herself from the leash, but it was no good. The servant backed away, and Mion felt the need to slaughter the man right there for doing such a thing to her. She ran towards him with fierceness in her eyes, only to yelp out in pain as the leash tugged at her neck. He was too far away for her to reach. She began to reach her arms out and desperately slash the air, but he was too far away for even that to hit.

The servant was annoyed by this behavior, and he reached for a rope that was hanging on the side of the cell. Ever so carefully, the man ran and grabbed the girl's wrists and began to bind them together with the rope. Mion tried her best to scratch him off, injuring him quite a bit when she scratched the man in her fit, though he winced and tried to move on from the injury. When the rope was bound, he smirked at her. There was no way she could get her wrists free from it.

"Let me go!" she screamed out. "I'm a free demon now! You can't bind me! I know who I am now and I know what emotions are! There's no way I'm going to let you do this!"

The servant simply shook his head, wearing that same disgusting smirk on his face. Slowly, he walked up to the growling girl, and with as much strength as he could; he pushed the girl and forced her down on the ground. She struggled about on the floor; though found that it was impossible to get up with her wrists bound together like that.

"You are not a free demon," the man told her. "You may think that you're a human, Number Twenty-Seven, but no matter what you do, it's only a game of make believe." He reached out and ran a finger down the length of her left horn, just to remind her that she was not human and never would be considered one as long as she had them. "You're only a demon."

And with those words, the servant left.

Mion screamed out as she tried to break free from the rope and the leash. Her neck ached as her metal collar rammed against the skin of her neck as she tried to pry the hook from the way by struggling forward, though there was little she could do while she was still on the floor with her wrists bound together. She yelled out as she buried her head in her wrists, her fangs gripping the rope and gnawing at it. It was a thick rope, and no matter how hard she tore and gnawed, it looked like it would be impossible to break free.

But luck appeared to be on her side. The ropes snapped after a good while of gnawing, and Mion pulled herself upward with her now free arms. She ran for the door, yelping again as the length of the leash cut her off. Knowing that it was impossible, she screamed out again in frustration. She banged her hand against the rock of the wall over and over again, hoping that it would somehow help, even though it would be almost impossible to break through it.

She turned around and lowered her head, then beginning to ram the wall with her horns over and over again. She looked like a wild animal as her horns hit the surface of the wall, doing nothing but making a large sound. It was hurting her to do it quite a bit, too.

Minutes passed, and Mion found herself lying on the ground, breathing heavily. The wall had not been chipped, and it would not break. They had been made sturdily so that demons could _not_ do that. A single tear drifted down her cheek as she realized any way of escaping from this place was completely impossible and the spark that was her hope instantly diminished to a pile of nothing. More tears came down as she realized that there was nothing but cold here, and there would be nothing but cold when she stayed down here. Her sister was gone, Keiichi was gone… _everyone_ was gone.

There was nothing but her, the cell, and the dying ashes of her hope.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Shion looked out the window of the house she had been staying in, once again wondering where her sister could be. Perhaps she was with Keiichi, all snuggled up in the futon, or perhaps she had been captured and was now lying on the hard ground, the surroundings she were in empty of all warmth. She herself had not been able to sleep at night due to the lack of the warm feeling. Sure, the futon itself was quite warm, but it wasn't the warmth that she was searching for.

She whipped around when she heard the sound of the creaking door, instantly being greeted by the smiling face of Houjou Satoshi. He was a boy that Shion had been getting used to being around, and he was quite a nice one at that. He did not betray her and give her back to the Sonozakis like most people would do. He had accepted her when she said to call her Shion and not Number Twenty-Eight and he had allowed her to stay in his house.

"Hello, Shion," he said gently, smiling at the girl.

Shion smiled back. "Satoshi-kun."

He wandered over to the girl and sat down on her futon, and Shion then did the same. She did not know what else to do. She had been looking out the window for long enough, so a short chat would be nice to change things up a bit.

"Your sister hasn't been captured," he told the girl. "I asked my friend, who is a Sonozaki. He said that the demons that had been stolen had not been returned."

Joy rose up inside of Shion. That meant her sister wasn't suffering, and she was not sleeping on the hard ground of the Sonozaki basement. It was mostly likely that she was still with Keiichi, but the possibility of her getting separated from him and being out lost in the woods or taken in by someone else who had agreed not to send her back to the Sonozakis was also plausible. But just the fact that she was safe was enough for her to feel relief.

"Thank you, Satoshi-kun!" she cried out.

He nodded. "I want to make sure that you're happy, so I have to find your sister. To tell you the truth, I went out looking for her in the woods… but…" he rubbed the back of his head, embraced. "…I couldn't find anything."

"Ah…" Well, that was okay. He had to have done his best, right? But Shion really did miss her sister.

Satoshi gave her an embarrassed smile. "Well, I won't give up. That's for sure."

"Thank you, Satoshi-kun," Shion replied, a warm smile on her face. He had tried his best to find her, and he seemed determined not to give up on it.

There was silence that followed for a little bit, but it didn't last when Satoshi decided to break it. "So, tell me about her."

Shion blinked. "Huh?"

"Your sister. Tell me about your sister."

Shion grinned at the topic. There was just so many things she needed to say about her sister. She was a very interesting person, after all. "Well, as you know already, my sister and I are identical twins. We've always been together, and just as Rika said, we were taken away from other mother and turned into demons when we were very little." She sighed at the thought. She didn't remember it, but it must have been terrible for her to go through such a process when she was that little. "We never had anyone but each other. We were the only demons in that cell and we spent every moment of every day together. It was just the two of us."

She smiled. "My sister is an interesting person. She's like me in several ways, other than just appearance, but she is also different from me in many ways. We, as demons, are not allowed to own anything. But my sister one received a gift of cards from a servant and the two of them would play together every day, and she learned to be very good at it. She's very rough when it comes to games and fighting. She also uses strange tactics to win… I think that's what someone called it once." Shion scratched her head. She faintly remembered Keiichi saying something about Mion in a small, pointless conversation that they had had once. It was a word to describe her. "…I think the word you use is tomboy. I don't know, though. But she's that."

"That's a word for a girl that's a lot like a boy, so I guess her competitive nature when she's fighting is why she was called that." He smiled at her. "She sounds like a wonderful person. We're very lucky to both have sisters."

That was right. Satoshi and Satoko were siblings, even if they weren't identical twins or anything like that. "What is it like with Satoko? I've seen you two talk to each other before, but I want to know more."

"Satoko is a few years younger than me," Satoshi spoke. "Her favorite thing to do is make traps, and she's called a prankster." He sighed as he looked to the side of the room, a concerned look on his face. "I think she goes overboard sometimes, and I worry that her traps will hurt someone, but they're keeping her safe for now. She was able to beat the kidnapper, but… that aside…" He shook his head. "No, I need to believe in her. Even if she's younger, I have to believe in her… but I'm worried that she'll get hurt one day. She's still a little girl."

"You shouldn't be so worried, Satoshi-kun," Shion spoke to the boy, a reassuring grin plastered across her face. "If she can trap the kidnapper and prevent herself from getting in such a situation, I'm sure that she'll be fine! You have to believe in your sister. That's what I learned from years. I never thought that we would ever get free, and sis kept trying to convince me otherwise, but we did. I learned from that that I have to believe in her no matter what, even if the situation seems hopeless. Like how we managed to escape." She left out the details about Keiichi rescuing them, obviously, but the message was still the same.

When they were in the basement, Shion had been hesitant to trust Keiichi. She had believed that the servant who had given Mion the deck of cards and had treated her well compared to the others would save them, but he never did, which caused all hope she had to disappear. When Mion tried to convince her that Keiichi really would save them, she had refused to believe her at first.

But Keiichi really did come to save them.

And from that, Shion learned to believe in her sister. Trust was one thing you needed from a sister no matter what.

Suddenly, Satoshi reached out and patted Shion on the head, ruffling her hair as he did so. She looked up at him, confused.

"Thank you, Shion. I think you're right. I'll try to believe in my sister a little more after hearing those words from you." He smiled at her. She noted that his smile was very soft and warm. "So once again… thank you."

"You're welcome, Satoshi-kun," replied Shion with another grin on her face, though she doubted that hers was as warm and soft as his had been.

**~~~~X~~~~**

It was afternoon, and the Sonozaki Manor was almost quiet, which was a little odd for how things usually were during the afternoon. Oryou was sitting in her futon, going over what had happened earlier in the day with Mion, known better to her as Number Twenty-Seven. She was glad to hear that she had been captured and returned, though it was not happiness gained from knowing that something stolen from you had come back. It was relief that she had returned.

She hated to admit it, but those two demons were special to her. Even though she locked them in a basement and treated them terribly, they were still her previous little granddaughters. At times, she regretted what she had done to the two of them. Turning them into demons and allowing them to rot in their cell did no good for anyone. It only caused pain for her, the twin demons, and their mother.

She had never bothered to tell her daughter that her daughters were still alive. In truth, she was afraid of what she would have to say about the whole thing. She would be completely enraged to know that she had taken her daughters away form her without a reason and thrown them in the basement. Really, killing them would have put them to better use than what she was doing with them now.

She really hoped that the person who stole them would be captured so that they could be killed for the Watanagashi. It was coming up soon, after all, and there was no sacrifice. The murderer who had killed Kimiyoshi and stolen forty-three of his demons was also on her list, but she didn't know if they were the same person or not. It would be very hard to track them down.

Oryou didn't even know if there was going to be a sacrifice. The Watanagashi was in two days. If they couldn't capture the man before then, then it was likely that there wouldn't be one. No one had tried stealing demons or killing anyone since the whole thing happened. It was all quiet amongst other thieves and murderers.

The sliding door to her room opened, revealing the figure of her daughter, Akane, standing there with a concerned look on her face. Oryou did not react at all to this other than nodding to her daughter, acknowledging that she had come in.

"Mother, you've seemed a little tired recently. Has the recent killings been doing this to you?" she asked her gently, moving to stand in front of the old woman.

That had been a part of it, but what was really concerning her was the situation with her granddaughters. She knew that she couldn't hide the secret from her daughter forever, and if the end of Onigafuchi were really coming like her grandson has predicted… then the subject of the twins would come up.

She didn't know if her granddaughters were really the twins from the legend, but they didn't seem like it. Honestly, they seemed to be more of the good guys than anything else. They didn't look like they wanted to cause harm. Thinking back to the talk she had had with the older one of the granddaughters earlier, she sighed. She knew the truth now, and if she ever got the chance to meet her mother, she would definitely tell her who she was.

The time to tell her was coming. But she didn't want her to.

She had already escaped once, and she had been heavily concerned that Akane would find out who the demons really were during the search, among other things. But while she had found out, she did not see her mother. She doubted that she even knew what her mother looked like. She had done a number of other things, though. She had learned about emotions, become more human than demon, and she had fallen in love with a human boy.

Things were getting complicated.

"Mother…?" Akane spoke, noticing the uneasy look on her mother's face. "Is there something wrong?"  
>"It's just what everyone's been saying, Akane. Your son has been telling me all about how he feels that the end of Onigafuchi is coming, and that it is to arrive on the Watanagashi. I have not yet chosen a sacrifice, either, and it has been complicated," she told her.<p>

Akane sighed. Her mother had always been the one to put too much work on her shoulders, especially since she wanted the Sonozaki family to look nice in front of all the other families. They had once been the weakest, but they were now the strongest of all three of them, passing by Kimiyoshi in seconds. Now that the old head was dead, and the new one wasn't doing very much but stand around and worry, the Kimiyoshi family had fallen in deep third. There wasn't much of a reason why she should be concerned about it now.

"I'm worried for Takeru," Akane admitted. "I mean, he may be the Hero and all of that, but he's still my son. I know who he is. I don't think that he can be all that heroic or anything like that. He… doesn't seem heroic to me." There was genuine worry on her face. "Takeru isn't that kind of person. He's not a hero."

"But that's the legend, Akane. Your son is the hero," Oryou told her, causing another look of uneasiness to grow across her daughter's face. "He is the right number birth in the family. He is certainly the Hero from the legend, and even if he doesn't look like it, I'm sure that boy can become the Hero when the time for it comes. He's ready for anything. I've been preparing him with a lot of extra training and I am sure he will be fine. He is a Sonozaki, after all."

But Akane's uneasy face did not clear up, even after that.

Oryou grumbled and shook her head. "Or is it just because you don't love that boy, Akane?"

Akane looked away. "Mother, you know I don't hate Takeru. I love him. He is my son, after all," she muttered.

"Don't lie to me," grumbled Oryou.

Akane sighed. "…Mother, it was true that I did not love him when he was born, but I grew to love him over the years." She looked uncomfortable with the topic.

"Of course you didn't love him. I wasn't expecting you to love him. I forced you to have that boy when you were still heartbroken over the loss of your twins. You told me that you didn't ever want to have another child, but I forced him on you." She shook her head. "It took you several years before you truly loved him. And even now, you wish that you kept those twins instead of him. You would trade them for him."

She looked down at the ground, showing a moment of sorrow. She was usually composed about things, but Akane would often show this side of herself whenever someone talked about her children. Her life as a mother had been very complicated. Her first two children had been taken away from her, and then she was forced to have another that she didn't even love until a few years after his birth. She couldn't deny it when she said that she would have preferred to have the twins and not him, but that was no longer the case. She wanted both the twins and her son now. Had it been years ago, she would have given up the boy for the twins in a heartbeat.

She hated talking about it with Oryou especially, as she was the one who supposedly killed her twins.

"Mother, I love Takeru now. My days of me dreading his existence and birth are long gone. I'm fine. Really, I am." It was a bit of a lie, seeing as she was not fine with the fact that two of her children had died before she got even a look at them. "I just wish you would have let me keep my twins… or at least look at them." She looked up at her mother, hopefulness in her eyes. "You saw them, Mother. Please tell me what they looked like. Were they boys or girls? Was one a boy and one a girl?"

"You really would trade his life for theirs," Oryou commented.

Akane narrowed her eyes. "Answer the question."

Oryou remained emotionless. "…It will only hurt you to know, Akane."

"Please, Mother. Answer the question." She would not compromise with this. She needed to know.

"No, Akane. I'm not going to tell you. It will hurt you. You are already hurt enough by it." Oryou was firm with this. There was no way that she was going to answer her question. She of course knew that they were identical girls, but if she were to say that, she knew that Akane would drop her love for Takeru, even if those two were already dead. She knew that she had been wishing for a pair of little girls. Knowing that she had been carrying just what she wanted would break her.

Akane looked down at the floor again. "I guess it's for the best," she decided. It really would hurt her to know, even if she wanted to.

"It is. I've done too many things to hurt you," Oryou spoke. "Even things that you don't know about."

She was referring to the fact that she was hiding her twin daughters from her, and also the fact that they had been rotting in the basement for seventeen years as demons that were rarely fed. But she didn't say it, of course.

Akane looked curious. "Mother?"

Oryou sighed. "Just go, Akane. You don't need to know the truth. If you know the number of things I've done to hurt you that you don't actually know about… it will hurt more than if you knew before hand."

Akane was still curious about it, but she knew that it would just hurt to talk about it, and that it would bother her mother if she didn't comply to her orders, so she just nodded to her mother and left the room, wondering what she could have been referring to.

Meanwhile, Oryou sat there, thinking about everything. Maybe one day she would give her daughters back to her. _Maybe._

**~~~~X~~~~**

Keiichi sat at his desk, staring morosely down at his math homework. Chie had distracted herself with a book about curry, so she did not notice the fact that he wasn't doing any work at all. She also didn't notice the fact that a few of the younger students were discussing various things at the front of the room. How she didn't notice it when she was right in front of them, Keiichi would never know. She really did manage to distract herself with curry books. It was actually kind of amazing.

But that wasn't what was on his mind right now. He was thinking about Mion, and how he had lost her last night. …And how the man had said that he would be back for him.

"Hey, Watanagashi is the day after tomorrow!" a kid whispered to another kid.

"Yeah, I know. My mom says she's going to cover my eyes this time. I don't want to see guts again…"

_Lucky kids._ He would have to endure seeing the man's guts get ripped out right before his eyes… provided that the man was caught… and that he didn't get him first.

He didn't know what to do. He couldn't tell the police or anything like that, because then they would find out about Mion when he explained to them about what happened and how he had said he would be back. If he tried to explain things without adding Mion in, it wouldn't make any sense. Why would the man just leave without killing him when he easily could have done so, making it possible for Keiichi to tell them about his encounter and how he would be back for them?

Rena was watching her friend with concerned eyes. She knew what had happened, and she knew how heartbroken he was over it. But she couldn't say anything to him at this time, seeing how Takeru was seated right next to her and was occasionally blabbing to her about the various things he would do if the Watanagashi was some kind of romantic festival rather than a gruesome festival where people watched brutal murder happen. If she were to make a comment, then obviously Takeru would notice.

Keiichi was heartbroken. Mion was someone he cared for, someone he taught, and someone who he had fallen in love with. He couldn't even believe it when he thought about it. He, the former loser kid who spent his time running about allies trying to shoot kids with a model gun, was in love with someone, and was now heartbroken over the fact that he may never ever get to see her again.

Things were not going well for him at all. He lost his friend, he lost his parents, his other friend was off somewhere in the forest, there was little he could tell anyone expect for Rena, and he was now probably about to be killed.

And there was nothing he could do about any of this.

His head collapsed on the desk. Well, with the upcoming Watanagashi, it was possible that they would be able to find out who the murderer was and kill him before he got to him. It was a long shot, but he hoped that it would happen. Otherwise, he was about as good as dead. That man had defeated Mion, made Shion run away and disappear, killed the great head of the Kimiyoshi family, stolen forty-three demons, murdered eight, and possibly even captured many children in the night and killed them without being caught, if they were indeed the same person.

It was unlikely, though. He should just be digging his grave now so that he could lie where he wanted in death. His parents had gotten a cheap burial out in the yard. He could at least have time to dig himself a hole where he wanted to lay for the rest of his life, seeing as he had some time before his death.

It wouldn't be very long, though. He knew that the man would come for him soon. Maybe it would even be tonight.

He would have to lock everything, even though he knew it was hopeless. The man had gotten in the locked house before; it was possible for him to get in again. How he did it, Keiichi would never know, but that was beside the point. All that mattered right now was that he was going to die, and he had to do things he wanted to do before he was going to do it.

He didn't know what that was, though. There wasn't anything he could do before his death. Everything he wanted would take too long, and half of it was already impossible.

He wanted his parents back, and he wanted Shion and Mion back. He wanted to live in a world where Mion and Shion could be accepted, and then they could spend their life together. He wanted people to accept him and Mion as romantic partners, and wanted his friends to become friends with her and her sister, too. Seeing as he couldn't bring his parents back and rescuing Mion was just about impossible, the things he wanted in life were already things he couldn't have.

_Is this really how my life is going to end? Just like this?_

He was only sixteen. He wanted to live to become older. Now, more than half of his life was going to be cut short.

He now found himself wishing that he had never come here. Then, he would have never had his parents killed, and he never would have fallen in love with Mion. Things would be better just being at home and shooting kids with model guns. That was a far less dangerous adventure than the one he was having now.

_But if you didn't… then Mion and Shion would never have seen the outside… and they would have never learned about emotions._

Keiichi rammed his head on the desk yet again. Even so, it just caused heartbreak… even though they would have been heartbroken without him.

_What does it matter? Everything is ending now, anyways. It's already… too late…_

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Ee… that was a kind of dark ending line there. And a dark chapter title. Poor Keiichi. I hope things get better for him. Well, I don't hope. I know whether or not they will. And I'm not telling! Mwhahaha. Speaking of which, we're almost to the end of BFB. Can you guys believe it? It feels like I've been with this fanfiction forever. It's so… strange, to know that this one will be over soon and that the next will come around fresh and new. It feels unreal to me. Just like how the ending of GED felt when I wrote it. It was all like… "Is it really over? It can't be over. …Wait, it is?" And I'm sure it's going to be the same. There is going to be less than ten chapters left, meaning we're in the 30-40 range. I was hoping it would just be around 35, but it looks like that's not going to happen. I know what's going to happen the next two chapters, but the rest is a blur. I mean, I have the events planned, but the number of chapters is unknown. **

**But I can't look ahead now. It will take a little while longer, so hang in there. This chapter didn't have too much, but it is still very important. Look at all the elements! Very, very, very important things here.**

**That said, I'll be writing a little over break. My teachers are bitter because we get an extra two days off and they don't (because of parent teacher conferences) and they are dumping homework on top of us to show how annoyed they are. Seriously. I have five history readings to do and a bunch of English homework. I did my science already. I have a Spanish test on Monday. At least my math teacher was nice.**

**That said, please review! Reviewers will get another Keiichi plushie, but this one is super huggable unlike the other one, so that you can hug him because of all the crap he's going through in this fanfiction. Poor, poor guy. If you point out typos, feel free to have some ice cream or any other kind of dessert. If you prefer not to have anything sugary like dessert, you can have some of Rena's cooking. She's really good, if you remember. Actually, everyone in Higurashi is good at cooking. Except for Keiichi. He's awful.**

**~Crimso**


	32. Chapter 31: Loneliness

**Crimso's Notes:**

**I don't have much to say here other than the fact that I highly enjoy long weekends, especially when you have four days off and then two weeks after the next week. Yeah, winter break is approaching. I honestly cannot wait for it. Why? …Well, that's obvious, isn't it? Everyone in my school is forward to not having any school. …It's just an evil thing. We've been thrown with a whole bunch of work, and… it's crazy. I have homework from four subjects (I finished Science, and I just realized we really did have math homework. Whyyyyy?) and it's kind of crazy. No one likes school.**

**Note one: The day before the Watanagashi. Fun!**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Loneliness**

Mion could only open a single eye to look at who had entered when she heard the creaking of the metal door, indicating that someone had opened her cell. She would usually dash and try to escape through the open door, but the leash that was binding her to her cell was impossible to break off and she had long given up on trying to escape. The metal collar that was pulling at her every time she tried to break herself free by running was beginning to hurt her neck, and it was not pleasant.

That's why she didn't say anything as she looked up at stared at the figure in front of her, knowing who it was in seconds.

"Number Twenty-Seven, it's _wonderful_ to see you back. I'm sorry that I was unable to see you the day you came. I was a little busy with the Watanagashi speech," the man Mion recognized as Yasuo spoke in a sarcastic tone as he mentioned how lovely it was to say her again, though dropped it with his second sentence. "I'm going to be the one who is speaking this year. Fun, hm? It's too bad that we haven't caught the killer yet. I have not been able to write up my speech about the victim."

She was lying on the ground, blinking at him as he spoke. She didn't say anything, though.

"Oh cheer up, brat. I brought you something you may like," Yasuo told her. Mion didn't react at all to that, until she heard the ruffling of a plastic bag, and then a slam as something hit the ground.

Confused, the girl looked up, finding that the object he had thrown into her cage was a slab of meat, and it was quite a big amount for what she usually got. She shot him a look of disbelief, and the man grinned, though his grin was not one that could be described as happy.

"Surprised, Number Twenty-Seven? I think that this is the first time I've fed you in months. And no, it's not poisoned or anything like that, so go ahead and eat. There would be no use in me killing you," Yasuo crossed his arms impatiently as he waited for the suspicious Mion to make a move.

Deciding that he was right and that there was no reason to trick her, the girl lunged for the meat, luckily being within distance for her to grab it without tugging at her collar. She buried her fangs into it instantly, tearing at it greedily. She was no longer questioning the reason why he had brought it, as it no longer mattered. All she was thinking about now was how wonderful the meat tasted to her tongue and how good it felt to have some food in her stomach.

"Listen, Number Twenty-Seven, I'm not giving this to you to be nice. I still hate your guts. I wish I could murder you here and now but Oryou would not allow that and it would be pointless anyways. Instead of leaving you to rot in this place, we decided that we're actually going to put you to some use," he told the girl, his tone rough and tainted with hatred for the girl in front of him. He had never liked her.

Mion looked up briefly from her meal, curiosity in her eyes. She was going to do something for once? Ever since she had been born, the only thing she had done was stand in front of the wooden door that led to the room with the demons with humans watching her, which was really pointless as the humans had a hold on her and they could have easily stopped intruders themselves. She had stopped doing that once the other demons were killed off, though.

"You'll find out what that is soon enough. For now, I just want you to gain strength by eating that meat. You're too skinny," spat the man, looking at the girl with hatred still burning in his eyes. "Way too skinny. Yes, I know it's my fault as the head of the demon handling here, but I don't care."

He moved on from that topic. "I'm hoping that we'll be able to grab your sister soon, too, so that should cheer you up. And don't say that you're happy that your sister is free. You wish she were here with you. And to be honest, even though I hate both of you, I wish she were here, too. Your sister will also be put to good use when she is found, but for now, you will be receiving all the meat and the jobs. Do you understand, Number Twenty-Seven?"

Mion finished her meat and nodded.

Yasuo smirked. "Well, good. You shouldn't get your hopes too high, after all. You're still just Number Twenty-Seven, no matter what people have told me about how you reacted when you first came here. Stop pretending." He stood up and turned towards the door, though before he exited, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "By the way, the boy that you were with has been suspected of being the one that stole you, and the one who found you will be returning to him tonight. He will be punished for his actions in the most brutal way that we can find." He smirked once again. "_I hope you don't mind_…" he taunted.

Just that one smirk, that one smirk full of victory, made Mion's rage burn higher than ever before. They were going to kill Keiichi! Without thinking, she lunged forward with her claws outstretched, her mind set on killing Yasuo. She completely forgot about the leash binding her, and was quickly reminded when she felt a jerk and her plans stop right in their tracks.

"Oh, I forgot. You do mind. Oh well, then. He's a thief and Oryou said that she wants him dead. Besides… we are missing a sacrifice for the Watanagashi," he added on.

Despite the meat he gave her, Mion realized that Yasuo was as much of a jerk as he was before. Mion hissed and growled, snapping her jaws and showing off her fangs furiously as if to threaten him, though it did no good, as Yasuo was not threatened by this at all.

"…See you, Number Twenty-Seven."

The metal door creaked shut, leaving Mion alone in the darkness once again.

She screamed out as she tried to lunge for the door again, though was once again stopped by the chain around her. She growled as she tried biting at the chain, though she knew that it wouldn't do any good at all. She didn't care, though. All she wanted to do was get out of her cell and claw that man's eyes out. Her fangs began to hurt as she gnawed and gnawed at the chain that refused to break, and she stopped, accepting the fact that it was useless. She allowed a claw to slip behind her neck and pick at the tape, though scratching at it wasn't doing very much good at all.

She fell to the ground, defeated. Keiichi was going to die. There was nothing she could do about it.

He had been so kind to her. Even when he had first come down to the basement to explore, he was kind to her. He did not yell at her for being a demon and call her a disgusting creature or anything like that; he instead started a conversation that had no ill intent. Just from that, she knew that he would come back and save her one day. And he really did. He came back day after day, and then finally, he let the girl go. There, they spent their days playing out in Keiichi's yard and playing games like _Go Fish_ and_ Clue. _He also taught her many things, like the meaning of happiness and other emotions.

He showed her the outside, he brought her meat, he gave her a name… he did so many things that she thought would never happen. They were miracles.

And finally, she had fallen in love with him.

And now, he was going to die.

She felt sorrow all over her body, and she hurt. She recalled it being not a wound of the body, but one that was in the heart and was not seen. That was also something that Keiichi had taught her. She would never be able to see the boy's smiling face again, or just his face again at all. He was going to die.

She wanted to break free from her chains and get out of the basement, but there was little she could do. Even if she were to release herself from the chains, she would still have the metal door to unlock and then the cell door itself. Then, she would have to sneak by all the servants that were working in the garden. Sure, she had done it before, but she had done it barely and it was very lucky that she hadn't been caught by anyone. If she did it again, it was possible she would be caught.

It was all useless. There was nothing that she could do.

A tear drifted down her face, and that tear soon became two tears.

She wanted some form of comfort, but there was no one there. There was no warm feeling around her. All there was was the cold feeling, the cold feeling that she knew well but hated with all of her heart. She despised the very feeling she got when she was alone, and there was hardly anything that she could do about it. There was no warm feeling.

She was alone.

But that was when she remembered something.

_The bracelet!_ Sure, it wasn't Keiichi, but it was given to her to remember him and the feeling that she got when she was around him, and it really did work. When he had left her for school, she would look at the bracelet and feel warm because she would remember and feel that warm feeling that she got around him, that warm feeling often known as love. She looked down to her wrist.

But the bracelet wasn't there.

Had it fallen off? Had someone taken it away? Whatever the case was, her last hope of having a warm feeling around died, and she realized then that she was truly enveloped in nothing but darkness and the cold feeling. There was no warm feeling to make her feel better anymore. Nothing was there.

More tears that she thought had disappeared began rolling down her cheeks, hitting the cold, stone ground barren of any comfort. Why did this have to happen to her? Why was the world so cruel to her? Why couldn't she have just stayed with Keiichi? The two of them could be cuddled up together by now, enjoying the warmth that they gave each other. But no. Fate had to be evil and make her be alone. Fate had never been kind to her. Fate forced her away from her mother when she was still a baby and kicked her in a cell, and then proceeded to leave her without food or a purpose in life.

However… Keiichi had found her a purpose in life. He had taught her about life and many things that she had never known, and made her happy for once.

But that purpose was now gone, because he was going to die.

She curled up into a ball, allowing her tears to pour out on the ground. She didn't need to be embarrassed about shedding tears, even though she always had the need to be strong and not show her weak side in front of anyone.

However, it was okay here.

She was alone, after all.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Afternoon came, and since no one ever wandered around the house that belonged to Satoko, Satoshi, and Rika around this time aside from them, Shion was allowed to go out and explore the area around the house. She remained at the back of it, looking at the many flowers that everyone had planted. Satoko, Satoshi, and Rika were all out as well, tending to the flowers. While Shion wasn't doing anything to help them, she found it very intriguing to watch. Being outside in the sunlight was enough for her. It had been so long, after all.

"Nii-Nii, you're pouring too much water on that one plant," sighed Satoko. "It's going to drown."

Satoshi pulled the watering can away from it instantly, realization dawning upon his face. "Ah, sorry about that! I need to be more careful." Satoshi placed a hand on the back of his own head and rubbed it nervously, embarrassed at having made such a mistake. Almost everyone knew that you weren't supposed to over water a flower, because it was possible that that flower could drown from it.

Shion didn't know this, though, and found that fact very interesting. She made a mental note of it in her head.

Flowers were very amazing, she realized. They could preform photosynthesis and they could make many seeds and plant more flowers by releasing their seeds into the air. They did not need to walk around to live. Because of photosynthesis, they could stay in one place. But if that place didn't have sunlight, they could not do this and they would end up dead. Life as a flower must be very challenging. Even though she had compared herself to a flower before, Shion realized that she did not want to be a flower.

They would die if it was too cold, they would die if no one was there to give them enough water (that was, if it didn't rain for a while), and they would die if there were no sunlight. She realized that if she were a flower, she would have died long ago. There was no sunlight in the basement and no one really came to give her water, and there certainly wasn't rain. The basement was cold aside from Mion's warmth, but that wasn't the kind of cold that they were talking about.

Even if flowers were pretty, she definitely wouldn't want to be one. She wondered if she was pretty enough to be a flower. She didn't fit most of the things you needed to fit in order to be a flower, but at least that… right?

Demons and flowers were similar, however. No one believed her, though.

"Satoko," she spoke to the girl the girl who was standing right next to her. "Would you like to be a flower?"

"Huh?" replied Satoko, a confused look across her face. "Why would I want to be a flower? I wouldn't be able to talk to anyone or anything like that, and I wouldn't be able to have my Nii-Nii or Rika. It is no fun being a flower. Besides, flowers die too easily."

That was true, too. She wouldn't want to be a flower because that meant she couldn't communicate or feel things. She was hesitant to believe Rika about that kind of thing, since she was so much like a flower, but she was more informed about the subject, so she reluctantly believed what she said. If she were a flower, the warm feeling would have done nothing because she wouldn't have been able to feel it, and if she did, then it would have no effect because flowers don't have emotions.

Flowers were like what people believed demons to be, but they were unlike what demons really were, she realized. There was a fine line between demons and flowers, just as Rika had said.

Well, she could still compare herself to a flower easily. She was supposed to not have emotions, just like a flower. But when the part about her really did having them came in, it was a different story.

She still liked flowers, though. They were pretty and fun to look at. They were many different colors, and the colors that she saw were the ones that were different from the ones in the basement. The one that she was looking at now was a specific type of flower that she didn't know about, but what she did know was that the color was called orange. Rika had mentioned it to her once. She decided that she really liked the color orange.

Rika was tending to a bunch of light blue flowers. She had long go decided that she also liked the color of the light blue flowers. They reminded her a little of water, and she liked water very much. It was cold and while it didn't taste like much, it was refreshing. Maybe it was because it didn't taste like much that it was refreshing. Whatever the case was, she liked both the color and water.

There was also another color she had learned about during her stay at Rika, Satoko, and Satoshi's house. This color was purple. She liked it a lot because she never imagined a color like purple would ever exist, and it reminded her of nothing that she had ever seen before. It was a wonderful color because of this. It was new and exciting, and Shion placed it high on her list of colors.

She didn't actually know what her favorite color was. There were too many pretty colors for her to decide.

She also didn't know what kind of flower she liked best. They were all beautiful and amazing because they were very unique and could do cool things like make food from sunlight and drink up water from the ground. It was hard to drink water whenever it spilt on the ground, but the plants could get the water that was absorbed into the soil.

They were truly amazing, even if they couldn't feel emotions.

"Looking at the flowers again, Shion?" Satoshi said with a smile. "You really like flowers, don't you?"

Shion nodded her head. "I like the colors of the flowers. Also, they smell nice." She leaned forward to take a sniff of the flower in front of her. It was unlike anything in the basement.

Satoshi chuckled a little as he went to stand next to the girl, leaving his little sister to tend to the rest of the flowers. Not that she really minded. She actually looked happy to be doing some of the work and make herself useful. It was proving herself to her older brother. "I like the flowers, too. That's why we work so hard to take care of them." He bent down and sniffed the same flower Shion had smelled before. "Yes, this one really does have a good scent."

Shion looked at that flower. It was a dark shade of purple, and it was very pretty and on top of that, it smelled very good. She decided that that was her favorite flower, even if she didn't exactly know what it was.

"Here," Satoshi spoke. He took out an object that reminded Shion of something she believed to be called scissors, and then placed the stem in between the two blades.

Shion looked horrified and was about to plead for the poor flower's life, but she then remembered that even if the flower died, it couldn't feel anything anyways, and that no flower would miss it, so it was okay. The look of horrification was wiped off her face and she simply watched as Satoshi snipped the top of the flower off of its stem. There was still quite a bit of the stem left, however.

He reached up and began to fiddle with Shion's hair, holding the flower close to it as he tried to do something with it. He frowned as he kept trying, but found that it was very hard for him to do whatever he was trying to do.

Satoko sighed and walked over to her older brother. "You do it like this…" she began to explain a few things to her older brother, and Shion wasn't really listening to what she was saying as she was trying to figure out why he would cut off the flower in the first place. Sure, it didn't hurt, but still, there had to be a reason. Then she realized that she could also compare this to how people thought demons really were. They believed that they should not feel bad about killing demons because they could not feel sorrow at being killed, and that the demons had a higher tolerance to pain, anyways (which was partially true. Really, it was that their healing powers were better and they were harder to kill, but…), so they shouldn't worry about causing pain.

Suddenly, Satoshi stepped back, a grin on his face. "There."

The flower had been placed in her hair, and while she couldn't see it, she was sure that it made her look very beautiful. The flower was beautiful, so it had to make her just as beautiful when she wore that flower. It was purple and pretty, after all, and it smelled good.

Shion smiled at the boy, very grateful for what he had done. "Thank you! I bet I look pretty now," she commented.

Satoshi smiled. "Of course you look beautiful, Shion," he responded, then reaching out to pat the girl on the head.

But Satoko snapped at him before he could. "You're going to mess the flower up!" she cried out.

Satoshi pulled his hand away. "Ah, I am. Well, you look pretty in that, anyways. Not that you weren't pretty before…—" Then he paused, and his face turned a deep shade of red when he realized what he had just said. He looked down at the ground and began to shift about uncomfortably.

Satoko smirked. "Ohohohohoho! It looks like Nii-Nii just said something nice to a girl. Ohohohohoho!" she laughed. Her laugh was very shrill, Shion noted.

Satoshi was still flustered, and he didn't say anything.

Shion was very confused. Why was saying something like that something that he should turn red at? He shouldn't. He had said something nice, and it made her feel very happy, so there was no reason to turn red and look down like that. She really didn't understand, but she found that she really didn't need to. She was just happy at being called pretty.

**~~~~X~~~~**

It was the night before the Watanagashi, and Keiichi was actually very surprised to find that the man who had stolen Mion had not come yesterday. He knew for a fact that he was going to come for him today, and it was something that he hadn't done anything about. What was the point? He was going to be caught sooner or later anyways, and due to reasons that he had thought about before, there was no way that he could call the police.

He was breathing heavily, scared. He could fight his fate, but the boy didn't want to. That man killed eight demons, he killed Kimiyoshi, probably stole a bunch of children if he and the kidnapper were really the same people, and stolen forty-three. That was a real accomplishment, as some would say. Demons were very strong, as he could tell from hearing The Legend of Makoto and Koichi. Killing eight of them must have been hard, and he didn't seem to have a sword or anything. The only item that had been said to be with him was a single knife. That was also what he had come with when the two of them encountered him the night before.

Things had been going well in the battle last night. He had almost managed to defeat that man… but unfortunately for him, he managed to grab that textbook right out from his hand and knock him right out. He noted before that he should be glad that was the only thing that it had done. He had heard many stories about people's heads getting slammed with a dictionary or some other kind of large book and then the victim losing all of their memory. He didn't know what he would do if he lost memory. Onigafuchi was the last town he wanted to do that in. Besides, he would then forget about Mion.

Sure, the memory of her was painful to him, simply because he knew now that she was gone and would not come back. There was no way that would happen. It was already impossible. But at the same time, he wanted to keep the memory of he. Even if it was horribly painful to think about… there was still something warm about the thought of that girl.

She really had changed him.

It was a shame, really. He wished that she wasn't in this village, and that she had been born elsewhere. Then, her and Shion wouldn't have to suffer through what all the Sonozaki family put them through, and then the two of them could have met somewhere else. He wouldn't have had to go through this horrible adventure.

He thought back to the days where he spent all his time studying, and how he longed for the taste of adventure. Sure, the model gun was supposed to be a replacement for one, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. He had definitely had an adventure here, but now it was one he was wishing he didn't want to have. He wished that he never wanted a taste of adventure in the first place. Anyone who wanted one should know that it tasted foul and they should never long for such a thing. Every day life was much more fun.

Still… he wouldn't have met Mion.

He buried his hands in his face. He just wanted things to go back to how they were when he first came and met Mion. Then he could start things over from the beginning and change the past. Maybe his parents wouldn't have had to die.

But it was either that or Mion and Shion staying in the basement for all of their lives… never tasting the fresh outside air or feeling emotions.

He didn't want to think about this anymore. There had never been a choice. Well, there had been when the man asked him to make a decision that he would regret, but at the time he didn't even know what that decision was. That was the only description that he had gotten of it. Would he have chosen differently if he knew?

_I told myself I didn't want to think about this anymore, so why in the world am I still thinking about this?_ Keiichi asked himself, gritting his teeth.

He lay back on his futon, his eyes closed. There was nothing more that he could do aside from wait for that man to sneak into his house and kill him. He didn't care. There was nothing he could do. He sighed, opening his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling.

That's when his eyes caught sight of something in the room, something that glistened brightly as the light hit it. His eyes widened and he felt himself creep towards it, and when he got close enough, he recognized the object to be the bracelet that he had gave Mion... the one thing he gave her to remind her of him and to light up her spirits. How had it gotten here? No, that wasn't the question. It had fallen off during the fight somehow. The real question was how he hadn't noticed the bracelet before.

He realized that Mion, in the cell, was completely alone without a reminder of that warm feeling. The bracelet was for her to remember the feeling of love that she got around her to help her realize what love was. Sure, she figured it out, but the bracelet still had its uses. She could remember it with it. And without it... there was nothing. No warm feeling. His heart hurt as he realized that. Mion... all alone in the basement... where it was cold and dark. He felt awful for her, to the point where he felt like crying. The poor, poor, poor girl.

He grabbed the bracelet and attached it to his wrist. To him, it was also a memory of that warm feeling he got around her. With this, he could always remember her.

Suddenly, Keiichi was pulled away from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, and he knew who it was instantly. He whipped around just in time to see the door to his room opening. His eyes lay on the man as he sat up, staring at him and the glistening knife that he held in his right hand.

The man seemed much, much more surprised than he was at the fact that he simply wasn't startled by his appearance, for his voice seemed rattled when he spoke. "Oh, you don't look surprised at all. Well, I did say that I was coming back, didn't I? Sorry about last night. I was going to come… but I had another pest to deal with. But now that that's over…" The man held the glistening knife up high, pointing it at the boy. "I'll take you."

Upon seeing that knife glint with the brightness of the room, something went off in Keiichi. It was something that told him that he couldn't just let this man kill him. He needed to be hurt for what he did to Mion! Sure, it was mostly a useless fight, but if he could do something…!

The man charged, and Keiichi jumped out of the way and grabbed a book. It was not thick and hard like the textbook that was used before, so there was no chance that the man could use it against him. A book like this could never knock anyone out. When the man ran to stab him again, the boy held the book up in his hand and allowed the knife to slip through the book instead of him, ultimately saving his life. He attempted to take both the book and the knife away from the man, but the book slid past the blade of the knife and it did not follow. Grumbling, the boy threw away the now useless book away. There was no way he could use it to defend himself now, as it was all ruined. He hadn't planned on reading it, anyways.

The man grumbled as he moved to stab the boy again, this time the brown-haired boy ducking so that the knife plunged into the wall instead of his flesh. He smirked as he tumbled out of the way of the man as he moved to stab again, once again letting the knife stab the wall of his room. There were now ugly dent marks in them, but he really didn't care about that kind of thing.

And as the man came at him again, Keiichi picked up the textbook and allowed the knife to go through that, though once again his attempt at bringing the knife along with him failed. He decided that using the thing was too dangerous, so the boy tossed it out the open window. He could hear another grumble of annoyance come from the man. It was apparent that he had been planning on using that again.

_Too bad. Strategies like that don't work twice._

But as the knife came down again, he was too slow to dodge. The knife plunged into his side, and he screamed out in pain. The knife was then removed, causing the boy to fall over the floor and more and more blood began to pour out of him, staining his white clothing. He had never felt so much pain before, and despite that, he knew that he had to get up. He struggled as he placed a hand on the wall, trying to pull himself up, but when he did he was met with the blade of the knife digging into his leg.

Dizziness overcame him, and black specks began to fill his vision. He couldn't allow this! This couldn't happen to him! He had to keep going! But as he tried, he found that the blackness was overcoming him, and that there was no use fighting it.

Soon, the dizziness became unbearable, and the black fully claimed his vision.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2 (Long edition)**

**If there is one thing that I cannot take, it is the thought of losing too much blood and the black specks you see and becoming dizzy… it makes me feel terrible and dizzy myself, which is why the ending could have been a lot better. It is not something that I can stand writing. My head… it really, really, really hurts. I feel awful just thinking about the black specks. Oh god… need to think about something else… quick!**

**Okay, I thought about my cats, and now I feel a little better. But it still hurts. Oh god…**

**I hope the part with Keiichi finding the bracelet wasn't out of place. It... was actually supposed to be in the chapter where Mion disappeared, but I forgot... and then I nearly forgot to put it in this time. Heck, when I wrote that part, I was in the document editor, getting ready to publish this chapter in a few _seconds_. I am so, so, so, so glad I caught that. I missed a few things in chapter one, but those were easily fixed. This one... would not be able to be fixed in any way AT ALL. I caught it when randomly scrolling up the document and seeing the word "bracelet." ...It... is pure luck... that I didn't kill BFB... By the way, I want another opinion about Satoshi and Shion. I was originally planning to not do anything after the last time I brought it up, but after this chapter, I realized that I could make it be. It would be a stretch, but I could try. ...It would be very tough, though, to find a way to fit it in. What do you think?**

**That said, poor Keiichi. I put him through too much in this fanfiction. And I thought what I did to Mion and Shion was bad. Well, that's awful, and this is also awful. I'll let you judge what's worse. Would you rather be in Mion's position, or Keiichi's? Mion spent her life in a cage, never seeing the outside and being treated horribly and not having a name, or Keiichi, who is suffering throughout this whole fanfiction AND has spent his life doing nothing but homework. You don't have to answer that. Just something to think about. I personality don't know. You can if you want to, though. Just wait until WAN…**

**I am taking a break tomorrow (probably) but the next chapter should be on Sunday. Should be. Maybe not. We'll see.**

**Please review! …I actually feel like I'm being terribly greedy when I ask you this every chapter, so I'm thinking of just reminding you nicely this time that you should. If you really want something, then take a bowl of ice cream (or some other kind of food if you don't like that), but I will ask you kindly to point out typos. I really have issues with those, and while I do catch a fair few of them when I go through my writing, there are some that miss my eye.**

**This is the shortest chapter in a long time. I'm actually kind of glad. Note that a lot of it is Crimso's Corner.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: These chapter titles... have become really, really, really dark...**


	33. Chapter 32: Festival

**Crimso's Notes**

**There's nothing like a good cup of hot chocolate. No, really. I love winter because hot chocolate comes with it, and I can have it without my mom yelling at me for having something she deems to be too unhealthy. Well, that's not the only reason why I love Christmas. Snow can be fun, too. The roof of our house gets so much snow and it's really fun to play in. I went up there with my friend one time during a snow day last year and he nearly sunk in all the snow. For that matter, I did too.**

**Note: It's Watanagashi.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Festival**

A sigh escaped Rena's mouth as she wandered towards the Furude shrine, knowing that it was time for the Watanagashi. She planned on meeting up with Keiichi, but it seemed as if he had already left, as he wasn't at home when she came to check. Satoko, Rika, and Satoshi were all coming from another direction, and as for Takeru… well, he'd give anything to be with her, but Oryou for some reason informed him that she would not be coming to the Watanagashi and that he would take her place this year, meaning that she was left all alone.

She would find Rika and the Houjou siblings at the festival, she hoped. It was always reassuring to have someone to stand by while the gruesome murder took place. Besides, sometimes Satoshi's hands over her ears weren't enough to block out the loud screams that came from the person who was being tortured. He would probably need help with that, and she definitely wanted to help. She couldn't imagine forcing poor, young Satoko to suffer in such a way. They would scold people for doing so if they caught them, but it was very rare that they managed to catch someone doing it. Satoko was a lot smaller than most people, so she didn't really stand out. It was okay for them to do so.

She had not heard news about the man who had killed Kimiyoshi and stolen the demons he had not killed being captured, so she didn't know whom the sacrifice could be. Well, they often didn't announce when they captured someone until the Watanagashi, but this was a big one, and they probably would inform everyone. Of course, they may just be setting up for a big surprise.

Last year, the person who was killed was an unknown person who suddenly attempted to kill Oryou. That was a bold move for a person near the Watanagashi. Usually, if a crime was committed, it was way before the Watanagashi took place as no one wanted to be in danger of getting his or her stomach ripped open. The other executions, while the thieves obviously still avoided getting caught, were much quicker and less painful. It usually just involved the downward strike of a sword and they would be done. Sometimes, they would cut their head off, but it was done quickly. The Watanagashi was slow and painful.

Her father and mother had moved away from the village when she was seven in fear of what was going on and also because he found a new job and found that as an opportunity to get away, but returned with only her father eventually because the poor girl began to get very, very, very scared about what was going to happen to them for betraying their home land. Onigafuchi was a dark village. There could be a curse set upon them by the local god, Oyashiro-sama. They had come back last year, so she didn't know about what had happened before. She had heard from Takeru that they had captured a serial killer who went about killing random villagers for the small amount of demons that they owned, and they didn't actually announce the capture until they went up in front of the Furude Shrine and saw him. Maybe it was possible he had been caught… maybe.

She was beginning to get closer, and she was searching the area frantically for her friends. She caught no sight of them, though. There were whole bunches of people crowding the paths, a grim face painted on every last one of them. No one was happy about the Watanagashi ceremony. No one really wanted to watch such a thing, and it was never a very fun thing for anyone.

Everyone was focused on the area ahead of them all, though. No one's gaze was drifted off to the side aside from Rena, who now stood there as crowds of people went by her. She moved out of the way so that people behind her could go ahead, since she could see looks of irritation grow on people's faces. No one dared say anything during the start of the festival, though. There wasn't much to say.

No sign of either of the siblings or Rika. Rika was one of the only people with blue hair her color in the village, so she should be easy to spot. There weren't too many blondes either. Most people in the village had black or brown hair, for some odd reason. She sighed as she looked about. Maybe they had already gone into the festival grounds. It was possible that Rika was helping the set up as the head of the Furude family, but usually only Sonozakis were around the area at that time. Seeing as they were crowned one of the Three Great Families only for this reason, they took their job very, very seriously.

But when Rena spotted blue hair very far in the distance, she was surprised to find that it belonged to a man. She didn't know any men with blue hair. Slowly, the man turned around and met her gaze.

"…Wait… Kai?"  
>The demon before her had golden eyes that were completely barren of all emotion, along with a Kimiyoshi collar around his neck. She was in complete and utter shock. What was he doing here? He had been captured! She felt like she should tell someone, but who to tell? The head of the Kimiyoshi family was nowhere in sight. Maybe she would find Masaru later at the grounds.<p>

"Rena!" a voice suddenly called to her, one that was shrill and undeniably one that belonged to Satoko.

She turned around, smiling. "I was looking for you guys!" she cried out, spotting her, her brother and her best friend.

They walked over to her. "Of course. Who wants to spend this morbid festival alone without some comfort?" asked Rika, a very small smile on her face. It was very hard to smile when you were going towards a festival that would involve guts and bloodshed. "We're glad we found you, Rena. We're going to need someone to help Satoshi with her ears."

Satoshi nodded. "It would be nice if you could help…"

"Of course I will!" She looked over at the people. "We should get going. We don't want to end up in the front."

"Yeah," Satoshi agreed. "Let's go."

And as the four of them began to walk off, Rena turned around to look at Kai once again, only to find that the demon had disappeared. Why he was there, she would never know, but she had a very bad feeling about it…

**~~~~X~~~~**

Keiichi's vision and mind had been spinning on and off all day, to the point where he would temporally regain consciousness only to lose it again seconds later. His whole mind had been a complete mess, and right now was one of the times he was beginning to regain himself again. During those times, he would hear bits and pieces of conversation, but never did he process any words or what was going on around him.

There was noise. There was a whole lot of noise. There were sounds of people walking about and footsteps hitting wood. He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, it seemed very odd. There was no way that he would be in a place with a lot of people. He had been attacked by that man.

He realized now that he had finally gotten a pretty good grasp on his full consciousness, enough to process the noise around him, so he decided to open his eyes.

And when he did, he nearly fainted.

He was on the Furude Shrine, in front of a crowd of people. His limbs had been restrained, and it took him a few seconds to realize that he had been placed on the restraining board used for executions. He realized now that he was at the Watanagashi festival… and he was the sacrifice.

He looked about frantically. On the shrine near him was a man he recognized as one of Takeru's uncles, Yasuo. On a chair near the front with his back facing him was none other that Takeru himself. What in the world was he doing? Why wasn't he helping him?  
>"Takeru!" he called out to the boy. "Takeru!"<p>

Takeru turned around, an apologetic look on his face with a bunch of sorrow. He shook his head as if to tell him that there was nothing he could do, and then he returned his uneasy gaze to the audience.

He cursed under his breath when he saw such an action. He was the heir of the Sonozaki family. Surely there was something he could do, right…?

But the head had the say in it, and Oryou was probably furious when she found out he had stolen her granddaughters, and she was probably set on killing him. They had not found the man who had killed Kimiyoshi and the rest. He was the only person available. No matter how hard Takeru tried to convince the old woman, it was very unlikely she would comply. She had a say in it. Takeru didn't.

In fact, he could now remember a part of his day, something he had picked up but not processed when he was in one of his semi-conscious states. Akane, Takeru's mom, had been arguing with Oryou about her choice for the festival and how it was too severe, but the old woman simply said that he was the only one and that her mind was made up. There had been no changing it.

"All right, we're beginning the festival!" yelled Yasuo. "Please, everyone quiet down!"

The talking, which consisted of uneasy chattering and whisperings of how scared they were, died down. Yasuo cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for coming to join us on this clear night for the Watanagashi. I'm very excited to be your speaker today, and it is a great honor to have been selected from numerous Sonozakis to lead tonight's ceremony by the great Sonozaki Oryou herself," he told the crowd, who was dead silent. There was confidence in his tone, and he didn't seem the least bit upset about having to lead a ceremony where a sixteen-year-old boy was to be killed. Then again, he had always been like that, hadn't he? He hadn't cared in the slightest when Akane was talking about how Mion and Shion had supposedly died at birth, and he had done terrible things to Mion and Shion, according to them. …Well, they were demons, but considering how he had been interacting with them… it was not doubtful that he found it a disgrace.

"I am afraid that Oryou herself cannot be present at this year's festival, so Takeru has kindly replaced her as the position of the heir of the Sonozaki family. Her daughter, Sonozaki Akane, and my own brother, who is her husband, have also stayed behind to keep watch on her since there are no one but servants there, and it is always helpful to have a family member near by."

That was interesting. Why couldn't she come? Keiichi was curious, but he obviously didn't say anything. Right now, he was only thinking about how he could escape. Was there some way… was there someone?

He looked at the crowd. He could see Satoshi, Rena, and Rika standing there with horrified looks on their faces. Satoko's vision and hearing had been obscured. Did she know that he was the sacrifice? He wanted to motion for them to find some way to help, but he could not. His arms had been tightly restrained. He tried moving them, but it was just too much.

He looked down his arm, finding that the bracelet was still there, much to his relief. It would be some form of comfort during this. …At least he had that to look at, so that he could be reminded of how much he loved Mion before he died. A tear trickled down his face. This was going to be the end of it all.

The pain would be unbearable, and it would match the amount of emotional pain he had gone through during his stay in Onigafuchi. It made him really wish he had never come here.

"We shall start out today by speaking a little about the history of Onigafuchi, and the great hero named Kimiyoshi Koichi, who took down the evil Demon King that went by the name of Makoto," Yasuo started out, not even looking at the boy. Takeru was looking back at him and the crowd, a pained expression on his face. He really wanted to do something, Keiichi realized, but he could not. He eventually returned to just the audience, fidgeting in his seat. He could not seem weak in front of the crowd, and he had to appear serious. "Kimiyoshi Koichi was brought up by his father, who was also a great leader. He was taught how to lead a village perfectly, and went through many hardships and pain to learn. It was no surprise that he turned out to be a great hero when he became the head."

"The problem of demons had always been a great one. They were ferocious beasts, ones that ran wild and killed humans for the sake of it. They were vicious, and without a doubt evil. Past heads had tried to do something about it, but there was very little they could do." Yasuo paused for a moment. His voice was composed and steady. He really was a great speaker. "That's when a man named Takashi came to him one day, a golden orb in his hand. He said that the orb had the power to control demons. Unsure and doubtful, Koichi asked him to demonstrate. It was true. That's when he came up with a wonderful plan. The man, along with his demon, would go out and slay all the demons. The orb could force a demon to obey anything. When someone was to kill his demon, he would just posses another one. Koichi's orders were perfect. The Furude Head also played a minor role in it, asking him to come to her for reports every week as some of her men guarded the land. The Sonozaki Head ordered everyone in her control to guard the other side of the land, making sure that no demons attacked."  
>"But while Koichi didn't do much of the fighting, he controlled everything. His plan was masterful. The amount of deaths decreased greatly on the human side, and dead demon bodies were being thrown away every single day." Yasuo looked at the crowd, making sure that they were all listening. Satoko was too small to be seen by him, and Keiichi had only barely managed to spot her. "He was an amazing man."<p>

"But one day, when Takashi came to him and explained that the orb had been stolen by a demon who was smart enough to attack him instead of the demon he was controlling, Koichi had come up with a plan. He himself would come and slay the demon. He trained for days and days, working hard on his skills to defeat the monstrous demon who dared attack Takashi." He tended to stick a negative adjective on any action a demon did, or just the demons themselves every time they were mentioned.

Keiichi thought it was interesting to hear the tale from his side. He had only heard it from Makoto's. He was attempting to distract himself from the fact that he was going to die by listening as intently as he could. That didn't mean that thoughts were constantly popping up in his head, though, causing a great amount of fear.

Yasuo's watchful eye caught no one looking away. Everyone was intent on listening, too. "But before such a thing could happen, the demon came to him first. His name was Makoto."

Keiichi cringed at the use of a masculine pronoun for Makoto. Had he really read the tale?

"Makoto announced a plan, which was nothing but a big trick. He wanted humans and demons to come together and live in peace, with the demons being allowed to kill humans whenever they wanted to simply for food." Yasuo smirked a little at the mention of the plan, though he tried to make it fade away as fast as he could. "No one believed him at all. Who would believe a demon? He thought that the sacrifices of humans were okay, when it was obvious that it was not. He was a good actor, but Koichi saw through this façade instantly."

_It wasn't a façade, and she wasn't a good actor! She was serious! …And also, would you please stop calling her a male? _His distractions were getting a little better. Maybe he could forget about death for a little. It was something he didn't want to think about, even though it was useless. He looked at the restraints holding him, his eyes wide. He really was going to die… wasn't he?

"Koichi attacked, killing one of his demons instantly. An outburst happened after that. Makoto claimed that he was serious, but it was useless. His trap had been seen through within seconds. Then, he went mad. He controlled a demon with the orb, ordering her to attack everyone. She managed to take down a few humans before being killed, and then Makoto switched demons again. This went on and on, until Makoto ran, ordering the rest of the demons to attack Koichi."

He glanced around again, his eyes narrowed as he spotted someone who was looking away. He did not say anything about it, though, and simply looked at one of the Sonozaki servants at the side, who nodded his head and ran into the crowd. "Koichi defeated all these demons, showing his true skill and bravery for taking on such a huge pack of demons. He ran through the crowd of dead bodies, red and black blood staining the ground. Then, he found Makoto in the woods, watching in fear. He knew that the enemy was too great for him, and that he was to die."  
>"When he positioned his sword in front of his throat, he asked if he had any dying words, and Makoto said that he did. He spoke of two twins who would arrive and bring downfall to his village, destroying it completely. But Koichi didn't listen. It was not true, after all. Koichi spoke of a great hero who would arrive and save Onigafuchi from the evil twins, a hero who may be even greater than he was." He paused, glancing to Takeru briefly. "And then, with a great swipe, he killed the evil demon king."<p>

"After that, he took the orb and forced all demons into slavery. He divided the demons amongst the Three Great Families, and he took the most demons for himself. He then split Makoto's three strongest demons amongst the families, one for each, and then called them the head demons. They were named Kai, Kaede, and Kenji." He paused to clear his throat again. "He took Kai for himself, and the Furude head picked Kaede. The Sonozaki head was left with the remaining demon, Kenji, though she said that that was the demon she wanted anyways. Thus ended the war on humans and demons, with the victory on the human's side. We triumphed over these monsters, and they are now nothing more than our pets."

Keiichi hated the way he spoke about demons. They were not just things to be thrown away and mistreated! They had feelings, too!

Then, he looked to Takeru once again, who stood up. He walked beside his uncle and cleared his throat. He seemed a little nervous, but that was only to be expected.

"Dear Onigafuchi citizens! I am Sonozaki Takeru, heir to the Sonozaki family. I will one day lead this village through times of great despair, and I will be known as a great leader," he yelled out to the crowd as loudly as he could. That loudness had to have hurt his throat. "But today, that is not what I am hear to talk about." He looked to Yasuo, nodding to him. "I am here to announce a great secret to all of you." He breathed heavily, his body a little shaky. "…I, Sonozaki Takeru, am the Hero of Onigafuchi."

Eyes widened amongst the crowd, shocking passing through the area. There were murmurs, though guards and Takeru himself instantly silenced them.

"Today is going to be a blood filled day. Today is the day that the twins will come out of hiding, and a war will take place. I can feel it in the air, and I'm sure that you can too. I want you to all know that as the Hero, I will protect Onigafuchi and all of you. I swear to Oyashiro-sama that I will do nothing but protect this village from its destruction, and destroy those evil twins!" he cried out, throwing his arms out. "If that's not true… then I'm not Sonozaki Takeru!"

There was a loud cheering coming from the crowd, something that was rare for a festival like this. He bowed to the crowd, a smile on his face at the support he received.

"All hail the Hero, Takeru!" the audience yelled.

"He will protect us!" another screamed out.

This screaming continued for a while, until Yasuo finally silenced them. He turned to Keiichi and looked at him, an evil smirk on his face as he stared at the boy. It was a reminder to him, a reminder that his life was going to end in less than a few minutes. It would be painful and horrifying.

A tear trickled down his face. Would it really end like this? Would no one come to save him? Why wasn't anyone protesting against this? It wasn't right to kill a young man like him. So why wasn't anyone questioning this? Were they really all just going to watch as he died? It just wasn't right. Someone had to come and save him. No, someone was going to come and save him. Right? Right?

"Ladies and Gentlemen, with that, I present to you the sacrifice for tonight. This is Maebara Keiichi, a young man who has recently moved here. He was thought to be a new light to the village, one that would calm the atmosphere, but time proved that he was nothing more than a criminal. He broke into the Sonozaki Manor and stole two demons." He looked at the audience, who were murmuring to themselves quietly. "Not only that… but what he did with them… is disgusting. The one demon that we have caught came back acting like a human, saying that demons had no right to be bossed around. He taught her that. He is for these horrible creatures."

More murmuring. Takeru was completely silent.

"Not only that… but this man… was in love with one of the demons."

There was louder murmuring.

"Disgusting. Completely disgusting. How could you stand such a vile beast, Maebara Keiichi? Or are you just as vile and messed up as she is? Well, it's evident by the fact that you love her." He looked to the side, to the entrance of the Furude Shrine. "But today, his life will come to an end. He will be sacrificed to Oyashiro-sama, and his intestines shall be drifted down the village. So… now… let us begin."

Panic arose in Keiichi. There was fear in his heart, fear that caused it to beat like never before. He was more scared than the time the man had broken into his house and killed his parents, or the time that he stole Mion from him. The fear he felt when he first moved to the village couldn't even compare! It was because this time, he really was going to die, and there was no way out of it. He gulped and closed his eyes tightly, wishing that everything would just end already. Life was too cruel. He didn't want to spend another moment in the world. It was probably happier somewhere else.

And in that somewhere else… perhaps his parents would be there, waiting for him. How long had they been waiting for him? It was his fault that they died, anyways. And maybe when Mion and Shion were punished, maybe even killed, they would join him too, and the three of them could spend their time close to each other, not having to worry about the Sonozaki family. In that place, they would have all the food they could eat, and they could sleep on the futon. They would have a name and they wouldn't be owned by anyone. They would also be able to explore the gardens outside, and see the colorful flowers and the deep blue sky every day. There would be no limits. They could be happy.

It seemed perfect, until he realized that the only place that that could exist was in Onigafuchi.

Onigafuchi had been a happy place… then it would be exactly that. There was no such thing as such a land elsewhere. And it was already too late for any of that.

"Demon, kill him!" a voice cried out from the darkness that made up his world. He refused to open his eyes.

He waited for a swing of a sword, the swing that would rip his stomach open, and then hands pulling at his intestines. What would it feel like? How much would it hurt? How early would he die? He gulped. He had to brace himself for the pain.

…But it never happened.

He opened his eyes, confused. What was going on?

In front of him stood a demon, a demon who instantly caused his eyes to widen and his heart begin to race.

"Mion...!" he whispered to the demon before him.

Mion was there, a sword in her hand as she stared down at the boy with wide eyes. She was breathing heavily as she clutched the hilt, staring into his blue eyes with fear in her own green ones. She was hesitating, obviously not wanting to kill the boy in front of her. He had to wonder why she of all demons had been chosen to kill him. It was probably for the irony, but there was no way that Mion would listen to such an order. Then again, Akane and her husband _were_ at the manor, so they wouldn't notice her and find out. But really… she was in love with him! Her hands trembled as she raised the sword ever so slightly, only to place it back down at her side again.

"Number Twenty-Seven, kill him!" Yasuo shouted again.

There was no response from Mion.

"Number Twenty-Seven…!"

"No."

Blinking came from Yasuo. "What did you just say?"

Keiichi looked at Mion's face. When did it grow so determined? Before, there had just been fear. Now, the girl was looking at the man with defiance in her eyes. She would not kill the boy, no matter how hard the man tried to make her. She really was a poor choice for this.

"No," repeated Mion. "I will not kill him."

Gasping came from the audience.

Yasuo looked around nervously, his teeth gritted. "You have to. It's the rule."

Mion walked over to him, the sword in her hand. "I will not listen to you!" she screamed out, staring into his eyes directly with her green ones. "I am no longer a demon under the control of _you!_ I am a free demon! I no longer have to listen to what you say, now that I am a free demon. I can wander about Onigafuchi without that, and I can do anything I wish to do!" A gigantic gasp came out from the audience as the sword was positioned in front of Yasuo's throat, the blade about a half a centimeter away from touching it. "That's why… I'm never going to listen to you ever again!"

Hope filled Keiichi. She was going to save him! He applauded her in his mind for being so brave and standing up to the man in front of her, the man who had a hold on her for so long. She was finally telling him off, breaking the binds he had on her.

Yasuo looked around nervously, slight fear in his eyes. Keiichi saw the man reach into a pocket, one that was seemed to be containing something in it. It looked very full and puffy. Slowly, he slipped the object out, clutching onto it tightly.

It took less than a second for Keiichi to realize what it was, but when he did, the action had already happened.

"I told you, Number Twenty-Seven," he growled. "_YOU WILL OBEY ME."_

There was a flashing from his hand, and the audience gasped as they looked at what was in it. There it was, an object that was recognizable by every single citizen in Onigafuchi.

It was The Orb of the Demon Kings.

Mion's sword instantly was removed from Yasuo's neck, and she didn't say a single word. Slowly, she took a few steps backwards, her face pointed towards the ground as she positioned the sword at her side.

Then, slowly, she turned around. Her eyes, which were once a wonderful shade of green, were now a pure gold, and her face, once one that was full of happiness when she spoke of games and laughter when she spent her time with him, was now plastered with a smirk. But this was not the same smirk the fun-loving Mion would usually wear. It was not smirk that contained hint of the girl he knew, the girl he loved. It was not happy, and it did not have playfulness in it. It was a smirk of pure madness.

"Well then," the girl licked her lips as she stared at the boy. "I guess we should begin, _shouldn't we?_" She let out a large laugh as she staggered towards the boy, clutching the sword tightly.

Any hope within him instantly died when he realized that his only frined, who had been willing to help him, instantly turned into a monstrous demon that wanted nothing more than to kill. He realized that The Orb of the Demon Kings was truly powerful. Someone so fun loving and wonderful had become what the village thought demons were, just plan sadistic and evil.

She smirked even more as she gazed upon the boy, seemingly not recognizing him at all as she opened her mouth slightly, revealing her sharp fangs. Keiichi had seen them before, but they never seemed so deadly to him as they did now. Her gold eyes scanned the boy, finally resting on his stomach. As that happened, she slowly began to raise the sword.

"Mion!" he yelled to her. "Don't you recognize me? I'm Maebara Keiichi! Your friend! Don't you remember?"

She licked her fangs, giggling darkly at him.

"We played games together, remember? I freed you and took you outside! I taught you your name and emotions! You have to remember me!" he screamed out to her, desperately trying to reach the Mion he knew was within the demon standing before him. "…Don't we… love each other?"  
>Yasuo laughed, while Takeru stared at Yasuo with wide, horrified eyes. "Give it up, boy. The Orb of the Demon Kings controls her now. That orb was the same orb that was used to slaughter evil demons, and the demons did not question it. She is not the same demon you know! She is nothing more than Number Twenty-Seven!" he yelled out. "So for that reason…" He looked at Mion. "Number Twenty-Seven, waste no more time. Do it <em>now!<em>"

Mion laughed madly as she raised the sword up in her air, nothing but excitement at having to kill someone in those unfamiliar gold eyes of hers. She grinned wildly as she brought the sword to his stomach, not touching it. She could not destroy any organs with a downward slash. She had to cut it open finely. She licked her lips again, moving to slash the boy's stomach.

"STOP!" a voice screamed out.

This was enough for everyone's attention to glance around, trying to find the source of the voice, including Mion. The sword still was at his stomach, but she had forgotten about killing him as she looked around frantically for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?'" yelled Yasuo. He turned to the demon. "Number Twenty-Seven, step back for now! I need to find out who this guy is!

Mion obeyed without question.

"Good! I was afraid you wouldn't listen to me," the voice spoke.

Yasuo looked around. "Show your face! Who dares interrupt the Watanagashi!" he yelled out, anger and irritation in his eyes.

The crowd parted away as a man began to advance towards the shrine, everyone eyeing him with shock as he walked through the path created by the people. He went up the stairs, right up to where the execution was taking place. There was an old book in his hand, one that seemed to be falling apart and was very dusty. There was a determined look in his eyes as he stepped on the stage, then turning around to face the audience.

"Kimiyoshi Masaru!" growled Yasuo. "I thought something was funny. I didn't see you when we were setting things u—"

"Stop it, Yasuo! That's enough of your blabbering!" he yelled out. He stared angrily at the man, his body a little shaky. The man had never totally gotten used to his position as head after the sudden death of his father, and he often stumbled about, but this was different. He was a little shaky now, but the anger and confidence in his eyes overcame that. No one had ever seen him with such fierceness in his eyes before.

Masaru faced the crowd. "That boy…" he pointed towards Takeru. "…Is not the Hero of Onigafuchi!"

There was a gasp, and Takeru's eyes went wide as he realized everyone's eyes were on him. He looked around robotically, the expression on his face not changing and his body not moving aside from his scanning head.

Yasuo growled at him. "Masaru, you've always been a liar and an idiot. Would you move aside and—"

"No!" he snapped at Yasuo. "_You're_ the liar! The whole Sonozaki family is made up of liars!" he yelled out. He turned to the audience. "Listen to me, my citizens of Onigafuchi! I am Kimiyoshi Masaru, current head of the Kimiyoshi family and descendant of the great Kimiyoshi Koichi! And I am here to tell you the truth!"

He held his hand up, showing off the old book in his hand. "This is the first copy of The Legend of Makoto and Koichi, the one that Kimiyoshi Koichi himself wrote! I was unsure about reading it at first because of the oldness of the book, but when I did, I discovered something." He looked at the two Sonozakis. "The Legend of the Hero is a complete and utter lie!"

Chatter came from the crowd, chatter that was not simply murmurs. It was loud and ferocious.

"…There is no such thing as the Hero that will save Onigafuchi!" he once again pointed towards Takeru. "This boy… is not the Hero! In fact… this boy… according to the legend… _is the enemy._"

Gasps sounded out, and chatter began. Keiichi's heart filled with shock. Had Takeru lied to him about this? He looked at the audience and found that his friends were no longer covering Satoko's ears.

"Makoto proclaimed that a man would come to the village and slaughter them all, and then Koichi said that there would be twins born… who would save it. There is no'the Hero of Onigafuchi.' But there is 'the Heroes of Onigafuchi.' The legend we speak about today is backwards!" He turned to Yasuo. "And on top of that, Makoto is female, not male. Have you really read the story?"

Silence on the stage. The audience was chatting and yelling loudly at such words. They couldn't be true. The Legend of the Hero was something that they had followed for years. Now, this man was saying that everyone had it backwards.

Yasuo growled. "Masaru, I always knew you were a liar, ever since you lied about breaking the Sonozaki family's prized vase when you were a kid. But this… this is unforgiveable. This is a lie that defeats all other lies. This… is…—"!" Yasuo stepped forward, lunging towards the man.

But an arm stopped him, an arm that belonged to Takeru. He had been silent the whole time, and he was now looking at Yasuo with stern eyes. "Yasuo, stop it."

"But Ta—"

"No." Takeru turned towards Masaru, seriousness in his eyes that Keiichi had never seen before. "…There is no need to fight this man_."_

No one said anything, even the audience. The only thing that Keiichi could hear was the pounding of his heart. His eyes locked on the scene before him, and at Mion who was doing nothing but watching with narrow golden eyes.

Takeru turned to Yasuo. "Yasuo, say it."

Yasuo blinked at Takeru. "What are you—"

"Yasuo," snapped Takeru. "_Just freaking say it!"_

Yasuo looked around, and he gritted his teeth. A mumble came out from his mouth.

"I didn't hear you, Yasuo!" yelled Takeru.

"I… il… hi…" grumbled Yasuo.

"YASUO!" screamed Takeru.

Yasuo clenched his teeth as he turned towards the crowd. "I… did it…"

Masaru narrowed his eyes. "You…"

"_I _killed Kimiyoshi. I did," Yasuo admitted loudly. "_I_ killed his eight demons, stole the forty-three of them, _I_ am the one who has been kidnapping all the children!" He turned towards Takeru. "Are you happy?"

Screams broke out amongst everyone, screams that consisted of the words "murderer!" and "liar!" Keiichi felt his heart freeze in his chest. Now that he thought about it… Yasuo really was a buff guy. He was very large, too, and his voice did seem familiar… Anger burned in his veins. This man had taken Mion away from him, and not only that, he had killed his parents. He wished he could kill him on the spot, but he was restrained.

Takeru stepped in front of the crowd. "Listen, everyone!" he yelled out. "Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Sonozaki Takeru, the heir of the Sonozaki family. I thought I was someone great. I thought I was the Hero of Onigafuchi, until I read the true story of Makoto and Koichi. I thought that I would become someone that people would look up to and admire… someone great." He stepped up to the crowd, at the very edge of the shrine. "But that was all false. The legend had been twisted by generations, and the truth was unveiled. … And while I may not be the Hero of Onigafuchi… _I will become him now._"

And that's when everyone in all of Onigafuchi realized that they were teetering right on the edge of death.

He turned towards the door of the shrine. "Demons! Attack!"

Suddenly, a whole swarm of demons ran out from the shrine and into the crowd. Keiichi instantly noticed who they were. They were Kimiyoshi demons, the ones that had been stolen. All forty-three of them dove into the crowd, and screams were sounded out as their claws began to tear at all of the villagers. They went right by Keiichi, who was scared and confused. What was Takeru doing? Had his friend had really just ordered the demons to kill everyone? It was a real shock. Takeru was not the type of person to do that. Masaru hesitated as he watched all his demons break loose, and then ran off in the direction of the Kimiyoshi Manor.

He looked at the boy. "Takeru!" he yelled out.

Takeru looked at the ground, grumbling. "Keiichi, you should know why."

Yasuo turned towards Mion. "Number Twenty-Seven, you too. Kill them all. Do not spare a soul." With that order, the man also leapt into the crowd, pulling a knife from his outfit.

Mion gave Keiichi one last glance before she too leapt into the crowd, and Keiichi heard a scream come out from a villager as her claws raked against them, killing them on the spot.

Takeru whipped around and wandered off down the steps on the side of the shrine, not saying a word or even giving the boy a last glance as he disappeared into the darkness.

Keiichi struggled against his restraints, all alone. He could only watch in fear as all the demons began to tear at the villagers, allowing dying screams to pass through the air. He wanted to get out and do something about it, but there was nothing he could do. The restraints were too heavy. His eyes widened as he watched a classmate fall to their knees, blood staining his clothing. He was dead within seconds.

_Rika… Satoko… Satoshi… Rena!_ Those names echoed in his mind. Would they be okay? Or were they already dead? Now more than ever he wanted to rip those restraints from his body and go save them, but there was no one there to do that. He wondered why a demon hadn't gone to kill him yet, as he was such an easy target. But they were just too focused on the scene in front of them to do anything.

Keiichi wanted to scream as he saw a demon grab Chie-sensei by her throat, then using her other hand to tear open her stomach. The teacher instantly fell to the ground, bleeding horribly. If that wasn't enough, the commotion going on caused many to trample over her body. If the wound wasn't the thing that killed her, that certainly was.

Chie had always been nice to him, and she was one of the only ones to have a friendly and safe air around her when he moved here. Now, she was gone. He struggled in his restraints. He needed to go and help before someone else he knew died… or else!

"Someone, get the restraints off!" he yelled out. "Someone—"

Suddenly, he felt the restraints being undone, and he instantly shot up. He felt wonderful at having been freed. If he could find some way to get help now, then he could try to turn the tables on this fight. But how? How would he do that?

"You," a voice spoke to him, probably belonging to the person who had freed him.

Keiichi whipped around.

"…I sense something about you… you seem strong. You… were really upset when they were talking about how demons were evil, weren't you? Good. You… believe in my master…"

He blinked. "K-Kai?"

Right before him was definitely the demon Kai, but something had changed about him. His eyes, once a golden color, were now returned to being blue. There was sadness in his eyes, and he seemed quite horrified at the same time. For once, he was showing some sign of emotion.

Since the orb was now controlling Mion, he had broken free of the spell he had been in for the last few years. There was no sign that he was going to go ahead and obey what his new master said. The only reason why he did so in the first place was because the orb forced him to. He had been too resistant of Koichi's orders.

"Maebara Keiichi, is it?"

Keiichi nodded.

"Allow me to assist you. …You… understand Makoto… For someone like that, I'd do anything."

His eyes went wide, and he simply nodded. Having a demon like him on his side would help him. He indeed did believe in what Makoto was saying, that the demons and humans needed to get along. "Thank you, Kai." Keiichi stood up and looked at the scene before him. Many, many people managed to run away as there were only forty-three Kimiyoshi demons, Yasuo, and Mion, but many people weren't so lucky.

He wondered if his friends had run away. He hadn't spotted anyone he knew aside from Chie. His head was a mess right now. His friends could be dead, Mion just involuntarily betrayed him, and Takeru also betrayed him, except he did so very voluntarily. He was the one conducting this war right now… and he was nowhere to be seen.

"Keiichi!" a voice cried out to him from the crowd.

His eyes went wide as he spotted Satoshi running up the steps, carrying Satoko in his arms, who was bleeding quite a bit from her right arm. Rena was behind the two of them, attempting to distract the demons from the three of them with someone else. It was sacrificing one life for another, but the three of them knew that they had to survive, no matter what the cost was.

"Satoshi, Satoko! Rena!" he yelled out to the three of them.

Satoshi and Satoko stood in front of them, and Rena joined them once she successfully made the two demons that had been chasing them go off and attack someone else. She had a look of guilt on her face for doing such a thing. She hadn't been specifically telling them to kill someone else, but it was just like going right up to someone's face and telling them to go murder someone else.

Kai blinked at the three of them. "Your friends?" he asked.

Keiichi nodded.

Rena inspected the demon in front of her. "Kai! I saw you when I was heading up."

Kai nodded. "I know. I'll explain later." He looked at the crowd. "…I think that we need to go to a spot where the demons aren't. …No one's behind the shrine."

No one questioned why he was helping the four of them out, but there was no time to do that right now. The demons were still massacring people caught up in the crowd in front of the shrine, and once they did away with them, it was possible that they would be attacked. No, it wasn't just that. Anyone can come up and attack them at any moment. It was just that they were distracted by the mass amounts of people that were down there.

The five of them dashed behind the shrine instantly, leaving behind the scene before them. It felt wrong to just go ahead and leave like that, but something needed to be done. There was no way they could accomplish anything by rushing into the battle. The only thing that could happen was that they would be killed!  
>They stopped behind the shrine. No one was there. All they could see was people running away to the safety of their homes, though they did spot a demon or two trying to track them down. Not that they noticed the five of them.<p>

"Where's Rika?" Keiichi asked instantly.

"She went to get Kaede and the rest," he answered. "Don't worry… I saw her get away from the demons."

Relief flooded Keiichi. All of his friends were okay.

"Keiichi-san, I can't believe what almost happened to you," Satoko said. "Did you really steal demons?"

Keiichi clenched his teeth and nodded. It was hard to admit this to them, but it really had been said already, so what was the point? "I… I don't know how to explain what happened. I went down to the Sonozaki basement, and I saw the two of them… and they were just so… terribly treated and broken. The two of them weren't fed, they had never seen the outside before… they didn't even have names. I know most demons don't have names or are fed… but these two… I couldn't leave them." He looked down at the floor, balling up his fists as he remember the state that he had found them in.

But to his surprise, Satoshi just smiled. "Good. I know how you feel, Keiichi."

Keiichi blinked in surprise.

"Listen, the demons you stole… were they identical twins?" Satoshi asked.

Keiichi didn't know how that guess would come to him, but it shocked him once again. Satoshi was very surprising. "Yeah, they were. The one that they tried to use to kill me with… she's one of them. The other one got separated form the two of us when we were attacked by that man." He paused. "No, that was Yasuo. He separated us. We went looking for her… but... we couldn't find her. The demon who tried to kill me just then, Mion, was heartbroken. The two of them were so close…  
>Satoshi looked over to his sister, looking a little hesitant. "…Actually, Keiichi, Shion's with me."<p>

That was another surprise that rattled him. "What?"

Satoshi nodded. "She was passed out on the floor of the forest, so I took her in and we've been taking care of her. She is an interesting demon. She loves flowers." He looked apologetic. "If I had known, I would have given her back. I'm sorry…"

Now that he knew the truth, he desperately wanted to bring Shion back to Mion as soon as possible, but that couldn't happen until he brought Mion back to normal. How would he do that? He would have to steal The Orb of the Demon Kings from Yasuo, who was completely powerful and could easily kill humans. Then there was the whole matter of the war and Takeru… there was so much on his hands right now.

"I must also apologize, Keiichi," Kai spoke up. "I was the one who told Takeru that you were the one who stole the demons."

Keiichi whipped towards the demon, blinking. "Huh?"

Kai clenched his teeth. "That evil man who controlled me… I wasn't supposed to say anything until he asked me to, and I could not do anything without an order. So that's why when I saw you outside with the two of them, I didn't say a word to him. But when Yasuo stole me and brought me to Takeru… he asked. I told him, and he sent Number Forty to take a look. She came back with the report that you really did." He hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry."

Keiichi didn't know what to say. It really wasn't his fault, because he had been controlled. "…Well, you were being controlled, so I guess it's okay," he finally spoke. It was very bad that he had said it, though. Of course, he had no say in the matter. His orders, as The Orb of the Demon King said, were that he could not have emotions and had to obey every order.

All this revalations were hurting his head. He had to deal with them and what was going on around him.

"That cursed orb has your friend now, doesn't it?" asked Kai. "It's no easy matter getting out of that spell. I have been under it for years… ever since… Makoto died…" There was a look of pain in his eyes, something that had not appeared for years and years. When was the last time he had felt something like this? "I only broke out of it because it is your friend's soul that is now bound to it… but I think you can do it. I had no right to steal from my... 'Master.'" He spat that word. "He was never going to let me go. But Yasuo took the orb from him…"

Could he really break Mion away from that orb? That would mean killing Yasuo and stealing the orb from him, or just defeating him and managing to snatch it away. Kai had failed to protect his master, even under the control of that orb.

Keiichi looked about the people. "…Hold on, we need to figure out what we're going to do. We need to fight, and we need to get the truth behind this, and we need to let Mion go from the orb…"

There were screams in the background as they spoke. It was very unsettling and a bitter reminder that they had to think of something fast.

"I'm going to speak with Takeru-kun," Rena said suddenly, causing them all to look at her. "I know it sounds crazy, because he's the one behind this all…" It seemed unsettling for her to say that. "But I have to. I'm his girlfriend. There's no way that he's going to hurt me. I can easily get the truth out of him."

That was a good idea. Rena could easily try to stop him from doing whatever he was doing, and if not, get the reason why he was doing all this. They had a good idea from what he had said, about becoming the Hero, but it still didn't make much sense.

"Rika's gone to get the other demons. I'm sure she saw the other twin demon, and recognized her. Shion will be amongst the demons brought and she'll be looking for her sister the whole time," Satoshi explained. "I… I think that Keiichi should go chase the other demon. Mion, was it?"

Satoshi then stopped and blinked. "Keiichi, is it true what they said? About you being in love with the demon girl?"

Keiichi could only nod.

He smiled. "Well, that's one reason to go and chase after her. You should definitely do that."

Rena looked towards the boy. "Keiichi, I saw Mi-chan run off to catch a few humans that got away. She ran east from the Furude Shrine." She pointed towards the way that she had gone. "That way."  
>That was certainly helpful. Since she was alone, he could confront her easier.<p>

Satoko puffed out her chest. "I'm going to set up a few traps around the village. It may be able to hold them off. Yasuo was trapped in my trap when he tried to capture me before!" Satoko looked to her brother, noticing that he was wearing an uneasy face. "Nii-Nii will come with me and defend me."

Satoshi looked surprised. "But… Satoko…!" he cried out. "I can't protect you from those demons! It's too much!"

But that was untrue. Keiichi knew that better than anyone. "What about that time where you chased away that demon when he threatened to kill Satoko? You were good then. You could surely do the same thing again." He gave him a reassuring thumbs up. "You could do it! I'm sure!"

He looked unsure, but all he did was nod. "I'll try… but no promises."

Kai stepped up. "I think I will hold off the fighting and defend the villagers being attacked, but I think it wouldn't be wise to fight that Yasuo guy until we come up with a better plan. …There are only two that can defeat the evil in this village, and those are the twins. Nothing can be done until the other twin demon is snapped out of that evil orb's trance."

Keiichi's eyes lit up in realization. He had forgotten all about that! Mion and Shion… they were the true heroes. They were the key to solving this. If the thing about Takeru being evil proved to be true, then the thing about Mion and Shion being the heroes of the legend also had to be true.

"All right, I think that we have everything set!" cried Keiichi. "Shall we go off?"

They all nodded.

"Good! And whatever you do, _don't die."_

Everyone then dashed off in all directions, determined to stop what was going on around them.

Keiichi looked around, then turning east towards where Mion was.

One thing was for sure.

He had to find her at all costs.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Wow. First chapter finished in class! Well, sort of. It was finished at lunch, but the only thing I did was write the last three lines. Yeah, so technically English. I was going to finish it… but then my English teacher called me over to talk to me about my terribly analyzed quotes (Actually, they were okay. He wants me to revise anyway, though. That's my English teacher for you.)**

**By the way, Kira subs came out. There's a download for the video files, but they haven't been put on websites yet. They still need to make a smaller version of it. I'm going to watch it when I get home. Once again, I'm in school, so I obviously can't watch it now unless I want to get yelled at by my English teacher, who is in hall duty (I'm actually talking to my friend about him right now… as I'm writing this.)**

**Annnnd I'm back from eating. My god, my English teacher really does hate me. I told him about my problem (I don't have a partner to work with for the project… stil) and he looked at me like. "Crimso. You have too many problems. Just go find a group and be done." …AAAAAHHHHHHHHH! I'm scared, guys.**

**I hope that this chapter was good enough for you guys. It was… dramatic. Please let me know if you find any errors or anything that should be changed AT ALL and I'll go ahead and fix it. I went back and made a few changes to make things better, but I need input. It's very hard to be focusing on so many characters at once. Please review and tell me what you think of what just happened! Have some of my lunch. I didn't eat it all… It's good. Also, typos!**

**~Crimso**


	34. Chapter 33: Control

**Crimso's Notes**

**I like it when I start a new chapter the same day I uploaded the last one. It makes me feel very productive. …Man, I've been uploading chapters fast, haven't I? I hope I'm not sacrificing quality for quantity. Then again, what needs to be done needs to be done. I told you guys I wouldn't rush, but there's not much more to it then I have to be finished by the end of December/Early January.**

**Note One: It's still the Watanagashi festival. The ceremony obviously ended… like in the last chapter, but…**

**Note Two: A lot of the group is split up into parts, as explained at the end of the last chapter, so expect different scenes with different people over the course of the next few chapters.**

**Note Three: I just realized that GED was four chapters longer than this. Guys, I think we're heading into the late thirties territory with this one.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Control**

Rena's footsteps pounded against the ground as she ran across the paths of Onigafuchi, her breathing labored. She had followed the same path Takeru had used when he left the Furude Shrine, and it looked as if he really wasn't attempting to hide himself at this time, for she managed to catch him wandering down the road carelessly. He was free to do so here. There were no demons or humans fighting in this area of the village. There was a dark expression on his face; similar to the one he had had before.

But to Rena, he looked a little sad.

He knew for a fact that he was being followed by someone, he just didn't know who that someone was and wasn't about to answer to them. He had backup in case they tried to attack him, so it was fine to do so.

"Takeru-kun!" cried Rena. "Takeru-kun!"

Upon noticing that the voice belonged to his girlfriend, Takeru whipped around, meeting the girl's light blue eyes with his forest green ones. He smiled faintly as he walked up to the girl, almost as if he had forgotten about the events that had just taken place. He stopped right in front of her, placing a hand on her cheek as he caressed it softly with a loving look in his eyes.

"Rena…"

But Rena slapped the hand away, a serious look in her own. She did not look the least bit happy about the affection that he was giving her.

Takeru blinked as he drew his hand back, and he said nothing. He could guess why Rena was angry; it was obvious, after all.

"Listen, Rena—"

"No, Takeru, you listen!" snapped Rena, taking the boy aback, partially from her tone and partially from her dropping the honorific. "Right now, Takeru, tell me what in the world you're doing!"

He sighed. "You, Rena, should know the answer to that better than anyone else. You know who I am, Rena. I'm Sonozaki Takeru. You know what kind of person I am. I'm your boyfriend." He didn't seem the least bit hostile towards the girl. It made Rena realize with guilt that he was really serious about his feelings towards her. "Why do you think?"

Rena looked annoyed. "But Takeru, that's no reason for you to kill everyone!" she snapped. "If you're not the hero, then you don't have to play the part of the villain!"

Takeru let out another sigh as he looked about the area, making sure that no one else was there. "Listen, Rena. I told you before during the ceremony of the Watanagashi ceremony. I thought I was someone great. I thought I was the Hero of Onigafuchi. …I thought I was someone who would be remembered in history, even after my death. But then… when I read the ending of The Legend of Makoto and Koichi, I realized that I was not destined to be the Hero. If I wanted to go down in history, I needed to make another name for myself." He breathed. "That's why I'm playing this part."

Rena crossed her arms, not the least bit amused by the boy in front of her. "Don't lie."

"I'm not lying. That's the truth," Takeru told her.

"I know that wasn't a lie, you seemed truthful about it. You always talked about how you wanted to be a great Hero and go down in history. You would always speak about how the Sonozaki heir thing was a pain, but deep down inside, you just wanted to be remembered, didn't you? …But you didn't want to be remembered for this." She glanced behind her back, looking at where the fighting was going in the distance. It obviously couldn't be seen, but the outline of the Furude Shrine was still there, and the screams of terror were still loud. "Because… you're just searching for one thing, aren't you?"

Takeru looked into her eyes, surprise in them. However, he managed to wipe that expression off of his face rather quickly. "Maybe that's the truth, Rena. Maybe I am searching for that one thing, but it's already too late. I've chosen my path in life, and there's no going back." He paused for a moment. "But Rena, I want you to accept this path that I've chosen. Once I've achieved my goal… I want you to stay with me."

Rena looked taken aback by such a request.

"I know it sounds crazy, but you know why I'm doing this. You can understand the reason behind this. So I think that you can accept my actions," he told her. "I also want you to know that I really do love you, Rena. None of that flirting was an act. I'm not using you or anything like that." He walked back over to her, placing the hand that was slapped away back on her cheek, though she still didn't look the least bit happy about it. "I want you to join me. So when this is over… when my goal has been achieved… will you become my wife and be the head of the Sonozaki family with me?"

Rena couldn't believe what Takeru was asking of her. So, the guy was going to massacre everyone in Onigafuchi, and then he still expected her to stay with him? What was he thinking? This was not a storybook where the girl would stay with the boy no matter what action he took. This was reality, and there was no way that she would stay with a man who massacred her village. Usually, she felt scared about admitting how she really felt about him. Now was not one of those times.

"Takeru-kun…" Rena spoke up.

Takeru smiled at the girl. "Yes, what is it, love?" he asked her, his tone sweet.

"I think you're crazy," she admitted.

Now it was Takeru's turn to be shocked by what she said. Among the things that were in his head, "you're crazy," was not one of them. He had been expecting some sort of acceptance, proclaiming how she loved him no matter what the case was.

"You're going to kill everyone… just because you're bitter that your twin sisters were never killed?" she asked.

There was more shock on Takeru's side.

"No, that's not it. My sisters are really—"

"Dead? No, they aren't." She narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Listen, Takeru. Rena knows everything. She really does. I met with your sisters and I became very good friends with them. They're lovely people…" The image of the first time she had met the twins popped into her mind. She had known who they were in a heartbeat. "And I know why you're doing this, and it involves the both of them. You're the one who told your mother to stay home, right? Because you were afraid that she would notice who Mi-chan was when she saw her."

"That's not—!"

"Takeru, I think you should stop right away." There were small tears in Rena's eyes as she spoke those words. Takeru had been a very good friend of hers, someone that she trusted. And now, he was ripping apart Onigafuchi, just like the legend predicted he would do. "Because… I know all you want is to be happy. But murder… murder is never the way to be happy. I want you to stop this all, and then we can all go home together and forget about this. Then we can continue on with our lives, Takeru… as friends."

That word hit him hard, and he instantly realized the implications of what she was saying. "_Friends_?" he repeated.

Rena nodded. "I'm breaking up with you."

There was shock and pain in his eyes, but Rena didn't feel very sorry for him. Sure, she was crying, but that was because she wanted nothing more than to return to the happy days, where they were all friends. She knew he had hurt him, but she thought of it as a way to punish him. It would break him away from the dream he was in and bring him back into reality, hopefully to think over his actions.

"No… Rena… don't… please don't," he pleaded. "I love you, Rena. I—"

"It's over all ready, Takeru," she whispered to him. "…Just come to me when you've figured things out. I'll be waiting…"

Rena turned around and walked away from the boy, glad that she had finally gotten away from that relationship. She hadn't mentioned how she never loved him, because she knew that it would break his heart, and that was the last thing he needed right now. All he needed was a little bit of reality to wake him up. Perhaps he would put a halt to his scheme now that the girl of his dreams had broken up with him and left him.

"Wait, Rena!" cried Takeru. "Come back!"

Rena didn't say anything and kept walking.

"Rena! Please! Just listen to me! When this is over, we can—"

She blocked out the rest of his words. He wasn't thinking about what she just said right now, but that would all change one she gave him some time to think. She wondered to herself what she would do now that her role was done at the moment.

_Keiichi went east to find Mi-chan. Maybe I should go the same way. Or I can go help Satoko-chan and Satoshi with the traps…_

He had gone the other way, so she would have to cross through the ground again. Sure, it was dangerous, but she had to find a way to make herself useful in this fight. Finding and helping Keiichi with Mion would be more difficult to do… so she figured she would just go ahead and help Satoko and Satoshi without risking her life. Keiichi needed the help, but Rika would soon be there with demons to help him out with murdering Yasuo and breaking Mion free.

She nodded, her idea in mind. She was going to go help the two Houjou siblings with their job, and then they would probably all have to meet up again. Rika would need to find Keiichi somehow and return Shion to him, and then break Mion away. They were the real heroes of the story, so the two of them needed to be together for this to work, and Mion really needed to be away from the control of the enemy, otherwise Onigafuchi was really doomed.

She heard a shrill scream come out, this one louder than the others. She winced as she thought about the life that had just been taken. She knew everyone in Onigafuchi. Every single death was the death of someone she knew the name of, someone she knew about. This war would not go without its causalities. So many people had already been lost…

She wondered what Takeru would do now. Would he really do something now that she had broken up with him? It was a good taste of reality, but… she couldn't be sure.

Takeru was just too determined sometimes.

**~~~~X~~~~**

The door to the Furude storage opened, creating a creaking sound as it did so. The young girl who had entered ran right down the aisles of cells, her shoes hitting the wooden floor, creating loud sounds. She passed right by the confused demons and reached the cell at the back, halting right before she slammed into the bars of the cell in front of her. The demon within the cell blinked up at her.

"Kaede," Rika spoke to the demon before her. "It's happening. Right now."

"Yes, I know. I sensed it," the demon spoke. "There was this uneasiness in the air and I knew something had gone wrong. Please give me the details."

Rika nodded as she fumbled into her pocket, pulling out a key and sticking it in the lock. "It happened during the ceremony, actually. The sacrifice was not killed," she began to explain before pulling the key from the lock. "During the speech, they unveiled that Sonozaki Takeru was the Hero… but then right before they killed him, the current Kimiyoshi head came on stage and told us that The Legend of the Hero was a fake." She pulled the door right open, a large creaking sound being emitted. "It's that the Hero is actually the villain, and the twins are the good guys. Those were the words written by Koichi himself."

Kaede blinked in surprise. "So, the whole thing was a fake?"

Rika nodded. "And now the supposed Hero has let loose the Kimiyoshi demons, which he stole from them. He ordered his uncle to kill the Kimiyoshi head and steal his demons," she explained. "They're massacring everyone. The real heroes are the demon I was keeping up in my house, Shion, and her twin sister. But the problem is that her uncle has used The Orb of the Demon Kings to control her mind, so now she's out massacring people as well. Without her, there's not much to be done."  
>The orange-haired demon looked at her in surprise as she stepped out of the cell. "Does that mean that Kai…?"<p>

"He's free from The Orb of the Demon Kings. I haven't seen him, so I don't know how he's taking the whole thing," Rika said. "But what matters right now is that we get that orb away from the man and restore the Hero." She turned to the rest of the demons. "Kaede, I want you to lead these demons into battle and stop the Kimiyoshi demons from massacring everyone."

"Of course," Kaede responded. "I'll look out for this demon orb man, and I will certainly kill him if I get a chance to. He seems tough, though. Taking out eight demons that were well trained by the family is no easy feat."

"I trust in you," responded Rika with a smile on her face. "That's why you're my head demon."

Then, she wandered down the aisles, letting loose all of her demons and explaining exactly what she needed them to do. She told them all that they needed to follow Kaede no matter what, and that they had to charge into battle even if that meant them getting killed in the process. The Kimiyoshi family had forty-three demons, plus Mion and Yasuo, and possibly minus Kai depending on how he took the release from the orb, and the Furude family had a total of thirty-five. There was a ten or nine difference in numbers.

_If they don't have Kai, though, they won't have their strongest demon and we may be able to take them out._ Rika turned to Kaede. _I haven't seen Kaede fight in a while, but from what she has told me about her old days as a guard, I know that she'll be able to put up a good fight. If she dies… then… I'm sure she'll be able to accomplish something before that._

Kaede and Rika led all the demons outside of the storage area, but they forced the demons to stop right there.

"Listen up! The battle is taking place near the Furude Shrine, but there are a lot of villagers that have escaped further into the village and many demons have gone out searching for those who got away. It's not going to be easy tracking all these demons down," Rika yelled to the group of demons, who were all listening raptly. "But I want you to do your best in everything! Fight to the death! If you die, then that's okay! I will not forget what you've done to my family." She breathed. "We… just need a miracle right now."

She turned to Kaede. "Kaede, lead them! I'm going back to my house. There's something I need to do," she ordered her.

Kaede nodded. "Yes, master!"

Rika watched as the demons charged forwards into the woods, and when they were gone from sight, she turned around and ran. She knew that the amount of demons she had and their power was enough to fight off the powerful amount of Kimiyoshi demons. They were strong, but that didn't mean that they were too much for the Furude demons to take. It had been a while since they all fought, but she had confidence in them.

But now that that was all done, there was something else she needed to do. The girl burst into the house and ran up the stairs. She had no time to waste with this. Out there, villagers were dying like animals. Every second spent meant another life may not be able to be saved.

Shion turned around instantly when she heard the steps, and her eyes grew wide when she spotted how startled the blue-haired girl was. She blinked at her, confused.

"Rika?" she spoke.

"Shion, quick, there's no time!" she yelled out, running towards the girl. "Everything's going wrong outside! The festival… it was interrupted by death. The heir to the Sonozaki family is out there massacring everyone with the demons that were stolen from the Kimiyoshi family!" she explained very quickly.

"Sonozaki…?" repeated Shion. "Who?"

"Takeru. Sonozaki Takeru," she told her. "Yasuo, his uncle, has been the one stealing demons. He killed Kimiyoshi."

Rage burned in Shion's veins the moment the name of her uncle and the person who had been supposed to be taking care of her all these years was mentioned. He was the killer? For some reason, Shion wasn't all that surprised. She should have known that that evil man was the killer all this time. He had never been nice to her. He did things like leave her in the cell without checking up on her for weeks, feed her every once in a while, and force her to kill little children against her own will.

"I knew that man was guilty!" yelled Shion, clenching her fists. "He was always bad to Sis and I." She spat on the ground. "I should have figured it was him when he attacked us. He had that same, disgusting voice. Besides, he's been making us kill children all this time."

Rika was surprised by what she had just said. This had to do with the children kidnapping, and she had just mentioned how she had been forced to kill the children. _She killed them._

"What… you killed them…? He made you?" she repeated in disbelief. "Why?"

Shion looked guilty as she looked at her feet. Had she, the one who was standing here right in front of Rika at this point of time, been there instead of Number Twenty-Eight, she would have definitely refused to do all of that. But Number Twenty-Eight was a demon who could not disobey authority and would not go against orders, no matter what. She had no choice but to kill those children when they asked her to.

"…Yasuo was planning something big from the beginning. It was something that my Sis and I figured, but we kind of forgot about when we were out here. He… would always talk about how he needed to toughen us up, and for practice targets, he used little children. Of course, the murders increased when he stole the demons…" She cursed under breath. "I should have figured it. I'm such an idiot."

Rika couldn't find anything to say to her. She knew that Shion wasn't a bad person and didn't do it on purpose. However, the fact that her hands were still stained with the blood of all the children she had murdered was still there. She tried to forget about it, though. It wasn't her fault, after all. Back then; Shion probably wasn't strong enough to disobey authority.

She had known all along about everything. She just couldn't tell.

"Shion, there's something else," Rika said, changing the subject.

Shion blinked at her. "Huh?"

"Do you know what The Orb of the Demon Kings is?" she asked.

Shion searched her brain. She thought she had heard about it before, but she wasn't quite sure. She thought that maybe Yasuo had mentioned it when he was conversing with Takeru about their plans, which they had been very careful about mentioning around her.

"Well, it's an orb that was said to be held by the demon king, hence the name. The last one who held it was Makoto. It's a very powerful golden orb with the power to completely mind control one demon by binding itself to the demon's soul," Rika explained to the girl. "It's very powerful. It can completely change a demon's personality and make them do things that they would never do. You can tell who is being controlled because their eyes turn the same gold color as the orb and their blood flows black."

Shion blinked. Now that she thought about it… it did seem a little familiar. Takeru and Yasuo had been speaking about how the Kimiyoshi family was in possession of the orb, because they were the ones that took it from the previous demon king. Why they were talking about it, Shion didn't know. Was it also a part of their little plan…?

"Shion. Listen to me, and please stay calm." Rika looked her right in the eye, seriousness in hers. "Your sister is being controlled by the orb. She has been ordered to kill everyone she can, and as the orb is just that powerful… she is."

Shion gasped and her eyes grew wide, and she found that she could not speak. Why? What had happened? She glanced out the window, wondering if her sister was outside massacring everyone right now. "What! ? That can't be possible!" screeched Shion. The Orb of the Demon Kings was powerful, yes, but she doubted it could be powerful enough to change her caring, loving sister into a monster. Her sister was strong enough to resist such a thing, after all. "There's no way my sister would ever do such a thing! She's a wonderful person and there's no way that she would even comply to an orb with such power…!"

Rika shook her head. "I'm sorry, Shion. It's the truth. You see, the orb has the power to control any demon, no matter what. Kai used to be controlled by the orb… and it changed him into a strong, fun person into someone without emotion, someone who would comply with every single order. Now listen, because of this—…" Rika was suddenly cut off. "Wait, Shion! Where are you going! ?"

Shion ran down the stairs, not even bothering to listen to the girl anymore. She didn't care about being seen right now. The girl burst out of the door and found herself running down the forest, her eyes wide with fear. She had to find her sister, to find out if what Rika was saying was really true. Could such an orb really control her sister, even if she was the kind of person who would never hurt a soul without meaning? She would never massacre people without a reason… and that reason had to be a very, very, very good one.

There seemed to be no one in the forest, but she didn't care. She kept running and running, in desperate search for her sister. She knew it was very unlikely that she would find her. On that night where they were separated, she spent forever looking for her, only to collapse on the ground of the forest and be found by Satoshi. But this did not stop Shion from looking. Her sister was someone very close to her, and she could not allow such a thing to happen to her. Was she really being controlled?

She ran and ran for what seemed like forever, and yet, she could not find her sister. All there was was endless trees.

But eventually, she found someone.

"Satoshi-kun!" she yelled out as she ran towards the blonde-haired boy, who instantly turned around. When he did so, she noticed that Satoko was also with him. She came to a half right before then, taking time to breath.

Satoko was working on some trap up in the trees, and it looked very complicated to her. Satoshi appeared to be keeping watch, but it seemed as if he was no part in the building of the trap.

"Shion? What are you doing?" Satoshi asked. "Did Rika send you out?"

Shion ignored his questions. "Please, Satoshi-kun! Tell me where my sister is! I have to find her!" she cried out, panic filling her.

The boy blinked at her for a moment, and then his expression changed into a sorrowful one. "So you heard, huh? I guess Rika told you…" he muttered. He felt bad for the poor girl, especially when he saw an escalating look of fear on her face when he said those words. "Shion…"

Shion felt like she was going to scream out. It couldn't be! There was no way that her sister was killing people! No orb could make her sister do such a thing, Orb of the Demon Kings or not! "Satoshi-kun! Tell me where she is, right now!" Desperation filled her voice, and when Satoshi didn't respond for a second, she slumped down on her knees. Satoshi had said it, and Rika had too. There was no reason that they would lie to her about such a thing. …Her sister really was possessed, wasn't she? Defeat filled her. Her sister was being controlled… and she was killing people.

Satoshi gestured to Satoko, telling her to continue with the trap. She nodded, and when she returned, Satoshi crouched down next to her, placing a hand on her back as tears spilled out of her eyes. "Shion," he whispered to her. "Your sister… I don't know where she went off to. I saw her jump into the crowd, and then Rena said that she went east… but I don't know. But Keiichi went after her. ...You know him, right?" His voice was gentle and caring.

Shion nodded, slightly surprised that Satoshi knew that she knew Keiichi, but that was hardly what she cared about at the moment.

"Then you will know that Keiichi loves your sister with all his heart, so there's no way that he'll let this continue. He'll find her and save her… so cheer up, all right?" he told her. He knew that such a task was hard, but a part of him believed in Keiichi.

Shion didn't quite know what love meant, but it seemed strong based on what she had heard before. Would Keiichi really be able to save her twin? How could she be sure? He had done miracles before, like save her from the basement… but she didn't know. If this orb was enough to change her sister into a monster, then it could force her to kill Keiichi. And against Mion, failure was the only option for Keiichi.

The next thing she knew, her arms were wrapped tightly around Satoshi, seeking comfort from the boy. There was something warm about the boy, something that brought her comfort in the dark times around her. It was a warm feeling… but it was a different warm feeling. It was very, very, very slight, but she could still feel it. It was enough to bring her the comfort she needed in a time like this.

Satoshi sighed as he wrapped his arms around her as well, pressing his body close to hers.

"Don't worry, Shion. …Just stay with me for now," he told her gently.

Shion nodded as she tried to seek the warm feeling, hoping that it would grow stronger as she held him closer. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. After all, right now, what she really needed was the warm feeling.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Keiichi felt his heart race as he ran down the paths of Onigafuchi with only one goal in mind: Save Mion. It would be very hard to do so, he realized. The girl was being controlled by an orb with the power to change a person from a nice, caring person to the most sadistic person on the face of the earth, and a man with inhuman strength was holding the orb. If he wanted to take the orb and save her, it would mean snatching it up from that evil man.

He wondered why he didn't suspect Yasuo before. From what he heard, he was always mean to the twins, and very, very cruel at that.

But that wasn't what mattered right now. He couldn't scold himself for not figuring out the truth sooner. What was done was done, and now the village itself was on the verge of death. He had to move on and fix the mess that was going on.

As he looked from his left to his right, he could see corpses beginning to line the street. Some of them were slumped over on the ground, their faces on the floor, and some of them were lying with their back to the floor. As he looked, he realized that he could see looks of horror painted on the faces of the people who had died on their backs, and the ones that were on their sides with their faces visible. Some of them looked like they were in pain… even in death.

They would forever have that look painted on their face, even when they were buried underneath the ground.

That just enraged him even more. How could Takeru do such a thing? He gritted his teeth as he thought about it. Takeru had been a good friend to him. Now, he was his greatest enemy. Even Yasuo was under his control right now.

Suddenly, the boy stopped as he heard a scream come from not too far away. He looked to the right and a little ahead, and spotting a man falling down to the ground, blood painting his formerly white clothing as he did so. Before the man was Mion, who wore a smirk of satisfaction on her face as she licked her lips. Blood completely stained her hands, and they were now dripping with it. She stretched out her claws further as she looked at the dead body.

Then, she turned to the boy, spotting him instantly. She held her claws up in the air, as if to warn the boy and show him her strength. What was the point of that? Keiichi already knew that Mion was strong. Just not like this.

"Mion!" he yelled out to her. "It's me, Keiichi!"

Mion's golden gaze lay unblinkingly at him.

"You remember me, don't you? I'm your friend! I saved you from the basement!" he called out to her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Kei-chan, you think I forgot? I know who you are and what you did to me, but those days are over. I'm not Mion anymore." She pointed a bloody claw to her collar. "I'm Number Twenty-Seven, a demon that serves the Sonozaki family. I do whatever they wish for, and right now… I have to kill you." He noted that her nametag had been removed, revealing the engraving of the number in her collar.

It hurt him to see her refer to herself as that. She had dropped that name a long time ago, intending never to return to that. She always insisted that Number Twenty-Seven was not her name after she learned her true one, but now it was the opposite. She was insisting that she was not Mion, someone who had learned all about emotions, a caring demon. She was simply a sadistic, evil demon named Number Twenty-Seven, who had no knowledge of such emotions. She had no rights anymore, and she had to obey now. She had gone back to who she was before.

No, that wasn't it. She wasn't even this before. She was never a sadistic, evil demon like the demon who was standing before him. She was always kind in her heart, even when she was locked in the basement and had to comply to orders.

"Enough with that crap." Mion wiped her hands on the tree, creating an ugly crimson mark on it. There was still blood on her hands, though, and a ton of it at that. He wondered how many people's blood was mixed together on her hands. There was just too much of it to be from that one man. "I am no longer Mion, and I never was. I can't let you live any longer." She licked her lips. Her golden eyes lit with sadism as she focused on her target. "I have to kill you, just like Master ordered me to!"

An evil laugh sounded out as she dashed towards him, and the boy quickly jumped out of the way of the brainwashed demon's path. The demon turned, however, following him with her head lowered, intending on ramming her horns right into him.. The boy cursed under his breath as he ran towards a tree, standing in front of it. When the demon came close, he jumped out of the way of her path.

Mion felt her horns ram into the tough bark, their points digging deep into the tree with how much force she had been intending to use on him. She struggled to pry them out, placing her hands on the bark as she carefully attempted to remove them. She grumbled as they finally came lose. A hand traveled up to her right horn, and she ran her hand down the length of it, coming to the point. Keiichi noted that they were now very, very large. It would be impossible to hide something like those giant things under a hat.

After confirming that no damage had been done to her horn, she ran towards the boy again, her bloodstained claws outstretched as they readied to dig into another human's soft flesh and add new blood into the mixture. She smirked as she clawed the boy, but he managed to move back just in time, preventing it from doing anymore than grazing him, tearing through his black shirt. Not that it didn't hurt. He winced as he brought his hand to his stomach, wiping away the blood that was coming out. He would have tried to stop the bleeding if he had time… but the demon was already attempting at her next attack.

He screamed out as he felt her fangs dig into his arm roughly. He struggled to get her off of her, but found that he could not. Even after trying to run away, he realized the reason why she had done that. He could not run easily with her fangs lodged into his skin. She blindly clawed the boy in the face, causing him to yell out in pain.

He pushed her out of the way, causing her fangs to dislodge, but in the process it tore more of his skin. He touched the area gently. The wound was deep, and it didn't look good at all. He would have to see a doctor about that.

Mion staggered up to her feet, but before she could do anything, Keiichi glared at her.

"Mion, is this really you? Are you really Number Twenty-Seven?" he asked her.

Mion nodded her head. "I'm Number Twenty-Seven. See? The collar says so." She tapped the number with her claw, causing a little blood to get onto the number. "My Master made me this collar. He is the one that I obey, and if he says that I'm Number Twenty-Seven, then I am Number Twenty-Seven."

Keiichi gritted his teeth. She was not acting like Mion at all! "Mion, snap out of it! You're just being controlled by The Orb of the Demon Kings!" he yelled out to her. "This isn't you! Think about who you really are, Mion!"

Mion narrowed her eyes. "I am Number Twenty-Seven, demon of the Sonozaki family. I serve no other purpose other than to kill." She held her claws up again, making Keiichi realize that the girl was about to attack again. "And my master said to kill you! So therefore…!"

Keiichi jumped out of the way of her attack. "That's not true, Mion! You were once, but you're no longer Number Twenty-Seven! Don't you remember when you broke free of the binds on you? You no longer are a demon of the Sonozaki family. You're a free demon!" he yelled out to her, desperately trying to reach the Mion inside of her.

Mion responded by an attempt to claw him in the face, which he barely missed. Her claws managed to scrape his nose, but that was about it.

Keiichi realized that all his attempts to bring her back were futile. There was no way that he could bring her back. The only option here was to find Yasuo, steal the orb from him, and then bring her back to normal. Attempting to reach into the Mion inside of her was no use. Had it been any use, he knew that she would have broken free long ago. She was a strong girl, and if the orb was any weaker, she could easily defeat it. It was just too strong.

Then fighting her here was useless. He had to find Yasuo… now.

He turned around and ran into the trees. Mion was still on his trail, but he figured he would lose her eventually. She was laughing madly as she ran after him, reminding Keiichi of how much he needed to fight this guy to bring her back. It would be tough but… He glanced to Mion behind him. There was madness in her eyes as she barred her fangs at him, showing off how sharp they were. Yes, he knew.

He needed to see her smiling face again.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**It's Thursday… and you know what that means! Yeah, it's the most insignificant day of the week, which means we have to show Thursday some love. I mean, Thursday isn't too bad, if you think about it. One day away from the end of the week, and for me, classes aren't too hard. I don't have science on Thursdays, which is heartbreaking because science is my favorite subject. I was actually talking to my science teacher a while ago about how Thursdays were very insignificant, and I pointed out this to her. My friend also agreed, and she was surprised to know that someone else was actually thinking about how insignificant Thursdays are.**

**Today was the last day of school before Winter Break. Well, not really. WE have tomorrow. Tomorrow is a half day where we do random stuff for the first two hours, and then we go see various groups preform Christmas songs and other things like that before the break… and then at twelve, we get the hell out of the school, cheering. So yeah, no homework tonight. There's a lot I need to do over break, though. I have to finish this, I have some missing history to get caught up on, I have an English Project due the week after we come back, a Spanish due the week after that… man, isn't Winter break supposed to be a break? Okay, so BFB is totally all me, and I want to write it, but the homework… In other news, I have a loaner computer AGAIN. The side of my laptop screen was coming off... and it bent out every time I closed it. So it would stop the computer from closing, and it would remain open and lose battery. I doubt I will get it back before tomorrow. Darn. I don't want to have a loaner all winter break.**

**So let's talk about this chapter. Takeru… acts a little funny towards Rena, but he genuinely loves her, and you'll see why he wants her on his side so much. Rena was acting a little harsh with him, but you would too if you were in her position. He was acting a little… stupid. But I can't say anymore about that. I don't want to go too far with Satoshion here, and I did mention the feeling was sort of faint because it would be too fast if I didn't. As for Mion and Keiichi… well… nothing to say. This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided I wanted to combine the next scene I was going to write with the next chapter along with another scene I was going to write, because I don't want this chapter to be too long and it fit more nicely like that.**

**Please review, as usual. I like reviews. They make me smile. So you get to know that you made an author happy if you review. Also, I'd like to see typos. I caught a few, but it is highly possible I missed a few as well. I called Onigafuchi Hinamizawa a few times, but thankfully that was all caught. Whoops.  
>~Crimso<strong>


	35. Chapter 34: Battle

**Crimso's Corner:**

**WINTER BREAAAAAAK! Heck yes! I've been waiting for this since the day I first stepped into the halls of my school! Well, maybe that's exaggerating it a little. I was actually somewhat excited to get my schedule on the first day… I wanted to see my classes on the second… there were a few I missed and did not get to see until the third… so the fourth day of school. That sounds accurate. Anyways, I think updates will have a dramatic increase in speed and we may even reach the end before January ends.**

**I still have that loaner. Too bad. The only thing I backed up… was a folder with the title "BLOOD FLOWS BLACK" on it. Yeah :|. I wish I had my music, but I guess that's what my iPod is for?**

**Note: It's still Watanagashi. Please do note that it WILL remain Watanagashi until I say so.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Battle**

Takeru stepped into the Sonozaki Manor, eyeing the world behind him carefully to make sure no one was following him before he went inside. He quickly made his way down the halls of the Manor, to where his grandmother's room was. He had insisted to his grandmother that he take responsibility for this year's Watanagashi as a part of his training, and suggested that Yasuo be the one to do the speech this year. She had accepted, much to his delight.

He had also been the one to tell his parents to stay at home and watch her. One of the reasons to that was that he did not want his parents to lay eyes on the demon twins, no matter what the cost was.

The other reason…

He stepped inside his grandmother's room and closed the sliding door, turning around to face the three figures inside of the room.

"Takeru!" cried his father. "What are you doing here?"

He ran into the room and stood next to his parents, faking a look of distress on his face. He hadn't been practicing his acting skills for nothing, after all. "Mom, Dad! Grandmother! It's happening!" he yelled out. "The fall of Onigafuchi is happening right now… and I'm supposed to be taking care of it!"

Akane looked startled. "Takeru…!"

Oryou did as well. "Wait, what's going on? Tell me what happened!" she demanded at once.

"There's a war breaking loose outside. Kimiyoshi Masaru… his demons hadn't actually been stolen all along. He had been hiding them and training up to massacre the village, and that's what's going on right now!" he lied to all of them, hoping that his acting skills were believable enough for them.

All three of them looked completely taken aback.

"Masaru… did?"

Takeru nodded. "And I'm supposed to be doing something… but I don't know what that something is! Please, keep me here and help me!" he begged them. "I don't want to show my face outside! The whole world is depending on me… and I can't do it, I just can't do it!" He faked fear on his face as he sat down, his face facing the floor. "I'm just not the right hero. Maybe this was all a mistake."

"Takeru, you're the right number! You are the hero!" snapped Oryou. "Get out there and fight like I trained you to!"

Akane glared at her mother. "Mother, please don't!" she yelled out. She then turned back to her child, gazing at him with worry in her eyes. "Takeru, I knew that something wasn't right about this whole hero thing. If you can't do it… then we'll just have to find some other way. But stay here for now. I don't want you to die." There was fear in her eyes as she spoke those words, and Takeru wanted to punch someone in the face when he knew that fear came from the fact that she had lost her twins.

She never truly cared about him.

"Thank you, Mom. Please don't go out, either. I don't want you to die… and you're much stronger than me, Mom. If someone breaks in here, then… can you fight?" he asked her, eyeing the sword that Oryou kept in her room. She had insisted on keeping it there when she heard from Takeru that he had a bad feeling about this year's Watanagashi.

Akane nodded. "Of course, my dear. I'll protect you no matter what."

This was another reason he kept them at home. No one came in the direction of the Sonozaki Manor, as most people were fighting back at the shrine, so there was no one to tell them the truth behind his actions. He knew that his mother and father would definitely protect him, and while his mother didn't really love him, she wouldn't believe if he told her that lie about Kimiyoshi Masaru before.

Here, he was safe. There was no way that anyone would attack him in this area. He looked out a window, making sure that no one was coming. There was absolutely no one outside, most people having gone home in another direction. Either that or they were still at the shrine, or perhaps they had fled into the dark woods, hoping that no demons would go in there and hunt them out.

On the inside, he was smirking. On the outside, he was wearing a face of relief. His mother would never suspect him of being the true mastermind, and his father wouldn't either. As for Oryou… she was too set on this whole idea of him being the Hero, and wouldn't believe anyone if they were to say that he really wasn't and that the true heroes were the granddaughters she had stuffed into a basement.

They would never find out if they stayed here to protect him, and they would never be able to see Mion and Shion. Yasuo was out there with the orb; murdering anyone he could get his hands on. Everything was going his way. If he could keep this up, then his plan would be a success. Together, the two of them were unstoppable.

** ~~~~X~~~~**

As much as Keiichi tried to run away, he realized that the girl behind him, the girl who used to be his greatest companion until her control happened, would not lose him. She was hot on his trail, and it looked as if she wasn't about to lose him. He gulped as he attempted to pick up the pace of his running as he found himself going further and further down the paths of Onigafuchi. He found that no one was deep on these trails for whatever reason, probably having not gotten very far or having gone in the other direction. Now that he thought about it, not too many houses were over in this area compared to the other parts.

He wondered why that was. There weren't any other buildings in Onigafuchi aside from houses, the school, the doctor's, and the shrines. Was something important this way?

Now that he thought about it, he could vaguely remember this path. But when he thought more about it, he realized quickly that Mion was centimeters behind him, so he shook off the thoughts for later and decided that survival was most necessary at this time. He needed to find Yasuo at all costs. If he could grab that orb from him, then he could change the fate of the village. Then, there would be Takeru to deal with, though he didn't seem to be as good as a fighter, and no one was on his side aside from the demons since everyone was at the festival.

He felt claws grab his shirt, and he was tugged backwards and met by another set of claws scratching right down his back, causing a loud scream to come out from the boy. He whipped around to meet the eyes of his friend, who promptly tried to scratch him in the face the moment it happened. He dodged at the last second, however, his feet sliding against the dusty paths, creating a dirt cloud underneath his feet.

"Mion! Don't do this!" he yelled out again. He couldn't find Yasuo, so he needed a way to hold her off. "You don't know what's going on at all! Do you really respect the man that trapped you under the ground for years, preventing you from eating or having a name?"

"He is my master. I shall obey no matter what!" screamed Mion. "Stop talking! I'm going to kill you!"

Keiichi gritted his teeth. The Orb of the Demon Kings was certainly amazing.

"That's right!" a voice suddenly called out from behind him, causing Keiichi to turn around. "That girl is under my control now."

It was just the person he wanted to see. He was smirking as he held the golden orb in his hand. "Number Twenty-Seven, you can ignore everything that this boy is saying right now." He ordered her, walking up to her as he casually rolled the orb about in the palm on his hand. Keiichi's eyes focused on it completely as he tried to figure out a way to grab it from him. "You don't love this boy. He's your enemy, and all he wants to do is kill you. For that reason… I don't want you slacking off anymore. I want you to murder him here and now. Do not waste anymore time, Number Twenty-Seven!"

Mion's eyes glistened with his words, and she nodded her head as she barred her fangs, licking her lips in excitement as she stared at the boy.

"Feel free to eat him when you're done with him," Yasuo told her. "I don't mind if you do that. I have been very bad with feeding you, after all."

Such an offer was hard for Mion to refuse, especially since she had The Orb of the Demon Kings. Even so, if she hadn't been controlled by it, it would be hard for a demon to refuse the offer of killing someone for meat. The real Mion would never do it, though. But right now, the Mion standing before him was seriously considering this as she eyed him as if he were a piece of juicy, fat meat.

Mion giggled darkly as she advanced towards the boy, madness clear in her golden eyes. "Food…" she whispered as she stared at the boy. "I'm going to eat you…"

Keiichi gulped. What should he do? He hesitated as he looked from the hungry Mion to the smirking Yasuo and the orb he was holding. He needed that orb. If he were to run away here, Mion would keep hunting him down, so long as that man had his hands on that glistening orb. It was clear that he only had one option here, and that was the option of snatching that orb right out of the man's hands.

He ran towards Yasuo and lunged for the orb, catching him off guard for a moment. He had been expecting the boy to go for Mion, like all the foolish demons did in The Legend of Makoto and Koichi. The reason why no one succeeded in slaying the man until Makoto came along was that they had aimed for the controlled demon and not the man that was controlling the demon. If they killed the controlled demon, they were then replaced. While that wasn't possible for a human like him, he wasn't going to kill Mion. Yasuo hadn't been expecting him to be smart like that. He held the orb up high with his hand, causing the boy to miss it.

He slammed Keiichi into a tree with brutal strength, causing him to gasp. But he quickly pried himself off the bark of the tree and made a second attempt. This time, however, he appeared from the behind and attempted to wind his arms around his body and grab onto the orb, though the man held the orb high and pounded his fist down on his head.

Keiichi tried not to scream when he felt such force go down on his head. He wondered how in the world the man before him got so strong. It didn't seem like any normal person could have such strength. He tried his best to ignore it as he went for a third attempt, this time running around him and jumping at him from the side, using a hand to punch him and another to try to grab the orb. He realized that Yasuo's sturdy body hardly felt such punches, just like when he attacked them before. He was definitely the same man.

Keiichi slapped the man's wrist with all his strength, hoping that it would do something to the grip that he had on the orb, but he found that it didn't do very much. He jerked his hand back when he realized that the boy was getting very close to grabbing the orb. It would be all over if he were to get that orb, even if he wasn't going to kill him, just like how the man who had stolen the orb and used it to massacre demons had been rendered useless when Makoto managed to snatch the orb away.

"Number Twenty-Seven, is there any reason why you're just standing there? !" barked Yasuo when he noticed that the girl was simply eyeing the boy with hungry eyes.

"…I thought you were dealing with him!" yelled the girl.

"I don't care what I'm doing with him right now, Number Twenty-Seven! What you have to do right now is intervene and kill this boy! I don't care how you do it. You can murder him or you could just eat him alive!" he yelled out as he held the orb up higher than ever to prevent the boy from ever so slightly touching the orb. "Just fucking do it!"

The next thing Keiichi felt was two sharp horns ramming into his side, causing him to gasp. Luckily for him, Mion's horns were curved, so the pointy part didn't impale him. It did hurt with the amount of force she had used, though. In seconds, Mion had him pinned against the tree, smirking madly as she stared at him. Five sharp claws dug into his flesh as she raked his stomach and cut right through his shirt.

She did not do anymore than that, though. After that, she looked at him straight in the eyes and licked her lips as she began to inspect the boy's body, wondering which part of him she should eat first. She lifted up one of his arms and positioned her head right above it, then opening up her mouth wide, drool dribbling out of it as she prepared to chomp right down.

Keiichi thought fast. He shook his arm out of her grip and smacked her right back in the face, causing her to yelp out in surprise. She growled at him in frustration as he did that.

"Just for that, I'm going to rip out your stomach here and now!" she screamed out. "Forget about eating you alive! I'll kill you brutally and then I'll eat you!"

He screamed as her claws dug into his stomach once again, and then again, and again. She raked her claws up and down his stomach over and over again, causing a great amount of pain for the boy and a great amount of blood to be lost. She cackled loudly all the way, enjoying the feeling of killing someone so slowly and brutally. The orb had truly turned her into a monster. He noted that she wasn't really thinking about what she was doing, though. The claws weren't really burying into his flesh.

She then moved up to his face and scratched him right across. Keiichi felt one of her claws barely miss his eyeball, and then he realized just what would have happened if her claws had been moved a bit. His whole eye would have been lost.

He grabbed onto her arms and tried to struggle out of her grip, kicking and wiggling about, hoping that it would do some good for him.

Yasuo chuckled. "You're doing wonderful, Number Twenty-Seven! Anymore and he will be dead! Go at it!"

She cackled mildly as she hammered her claws back down on his stomach. Keiichi realized that he was really getting close to death, and if this continued like this… Onigafuchi could be completely destroyed.

A tear trickled down his eye. Was this really how it was going to end? He had just escaped death, and now he was back in the hands of him again. Mion, his best friend and the girl he loved, was going to kill him right here with her own claws, and not by her own will. She was being completely controlled, turned into an insane monster so that she could murder the boy. He didn't want it to end here. He had gone so far, and he had escaped so many of these attempts.

There was nothing he could do against the girl. She was too strong.

"Please… Mion, stop," he begged weakly. "You're… going to kill me."

Mion did nothing to stop.

"Please…"

Yasuo began to laugh loudly and mockingly. "GIVE IT UP, BOY! NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN, _KILL HIM_ _NOW_!"

She cackled again as another swing slashed his stomach again, causing him to cough. Her cuts were hardly deep, but they did hurt quite a bit and after a while, there was quite a bit of blood that was lost. When she observed him, she realized that her task of torturing him a bit before he died was over. Her stomach grumbled as she looked at the boy, deciding it was now time for her dinner.

He realized this quickly and knew at that moment his life was over. Mion was a hungry demon, and it wasn't easy to stop a hungry demon. She licked her lips again, wondering which part of him she should eat first.

"GO, NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN! RIGHT NOW!" bellowed Yasuo.

This was the end for him. After all this work, he was going to die. He had managed to escape from the Watanagashi for nothing. Really, if he had been killed back then, it wouldn't have made a single difference. Now, he actually wished that he had been killed back then instead of being left to suffer here, where the thought that he had a chance. He had been foolish for thinking he could go up against Yasuo, who held The Orb of the Demon Kings and also had a great amount of power.

"KILL THE BOY, DEMON! DO IT FOR YOUR MASTER!" he yelled out.

Keiichi shut his eyes tightly to brace himself for what was to come.

He felt Mion grab his wrist roughing, pulling it towards her and digging her claws right into his flesh. This was the moment it was all going to end. Everything he had worked for, everything he had sought for, and everything he had wished for was going die along with him.

Her claws stayed there, in his skin, but he realized she was doing nothing else.

"Number Twenty-Seven, I order you to waste no more time! You have to kill him, now!" he heard Yasuo bellow.

Mion's claws didn't move.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Number Twenty-Seven? !" Yasuo yelled. "Do it!"

Keiichi was very, very confused at the moment. What was Mion doing? Shouldn't she have killed him by now? Curiously, the boy peeked an eye open.

And when he did, he found that Mion's eyes were fixed on something… something on his wrist.

It was the bracelet, the bracelet that he had given to Mion to remember how much he loved her. He had put it on when he had discovered that she had dropped it. And now, Mion's attention was fully on that bracelet.

"Number Twenty-Seven?" called Yasuo. "Number Twenty-Seven, if you hear me, just get it done!"

Mion stared at it, her golden eyes wide. At that moment, she felt something click in her mind. Perhaps it was a realization, or perhaps it was a memory. She didn't know, but whatever it was, it made her mind go completely wild. Her brain, plagued with thoughts of death and killing, was now starting to overload the more that she stared at it. It was hurting her head, and it felt as if the pressure was going to make her explode.

First, it was Keiichi's soft voice, speaking to her about what the meaning of love truly was, causing a small spark to start off like the beginning of a wild fire. _"I don't know how to explain it, Mion, but I want you to know that I am in love with you. …When you figure out what that is, I want to hear from your own mouth if you love me, too."_

Second, it was the words spoken when Keiichi told her what the meaning of the bracelet truly was, causing an explosion of emotions to occur within and stir memories. _"Please think about what I told you. Every time you look at this bracelet, I want you to remember what I told you and the feeling you had before when I was holding you."_

Third, it was the warm feeling she felt whenever she stared at the bracelet, and how her heart raced and her cheeks heated up and turned crimson whenever she thought about him through that bracelet and what he had told her, causing this same feeling to ignite in her chest and grow.

Fourth, it was what he had told her shortly before she had been captured, the words burning right into her mind like fire scorching through acres of woodland trees. _"It feels just like how you feel. My heart beats loudly in my chest and my cheeks get all warm, and there's this very nice warm feeling inside of me. That's how love is, Mion, and because of that, I know that I'm in love with you."_

And finally, it was her own feelings, when she truly realized what the identity of that warm feeling was, that final thought ripping past all the memories at a faster velocity than any of the other feelings, like a hurried cheetah rushing past the grassy savannah. _Love. It's love. I'm in love with him._

All these memories and feelings combined caused her to look straight up at the boy in the eye, straying away from the bracelet for a brief moment. His eyes were a bright blue, a color that she had always loved since the day she first learned what it was. She remembered the day he first came to her, the day he brought her the meet, the time where he played cards with her and she admitted that she did not understand human emotions, the time where she had overloaded him with questions about the life of a human, when he had let her and her sister go free out into the world, when he had played games like _Clue _with her, how he had comforted her when she lost her sister, how kind he had been to her this whole time, and finally, the pain she had when she had lost him.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Mion's eyes practically exploded back into its original green color. Suddenly, there was a golden glow from the back, followed quickly by the sound of shattering.

Yasuo stumbled backwards as he stared at the sharps that used to make up The Orb of the Demon King, which were now laying about the ground. Confusion and horror lit up his eyes as he slowly looked upwards at the demon girl in front of him.

Her emerald green eyes were staring at him with fierceness and defiance in them, and the next thing he knew, she was yelled right at him. "That's right!" she yelled out, stepping forward. "That's who I am! I'm not Number Twenty-Seven, and I'm certainly not your little pet! I'm Mion, a free demon with the right to do anything! I don't obey anyone's orders and I certainly am not a ruthless murderer!" She turned around and walked towards Keiichi, and once she was by his side, she turned back around to face him. "And this boy is Maebara Keiichi, the one who saved me! He did so many things for me. He taught me how to play games like tag and clue, he taught me the color of the sky and how beautiful the outside world can be, he taught me what it's like to sleep in a futon at night, he taught me what emotions were, and lastly…" She clenched her fists tightly, staring right at him. "I'm in love with him! So there's no way in hell I'm going to listen to you!"

Keiichi's eyes were filled with shock as he stared at the girl in front of him, wondering what she had just done. What in the world had just happened? He gazed at the bracelet in awe. _…That's right! I told her to think about me when she looks at this bracelet… so it must have made her remember…! _A huge grin broke out across his face.

"Mion!" he cried out.

Mion turned to him, a smile plastered on her face. "Kei-chan!"

The two of them ran towards each other, tightly embracing each other for what seemed to be the first time in forever. Tears of joy began to trickle down both of their faces. The two of them believed that they would never be reunited again, and here they were in each other's arms… for the rest of eternity.

She smiled gently at him, pulling away so that he could look at his face.

"Mion…"

"Kei-chan…"

Suddenly, Keiichi grabbed her, much to her confusion. The next thing that she felt was his lips press against hers, and her eyes went wide. She didn't know what he was doing, but whatever it was, she liked it. A warm feeling sparked up inside of her, this warm feeling much stronger than the warm feelings that she had felt before. It was the same romantic love, but this time, it was stronger. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, returning the kiss. She really didn't know what she was doing, either, but it made her feel better and that was all that mattered.

The two of them pulled apart from each other, staring into each other's eyes.

"Mion… I love you," Keiichi told her.

Mion smiled. "I love you too, Kei-chan."

They leaned in again for another kiss, but that was interrupted when they heard a scream coming from Yasuo, causing them to break apart from each other and stare at him.

"How could this happen?" he asked, gathering the shards of The Orb of the Demon Kings in his hand. They were a clear, glassy color, no longer having that golden glint to them. "How could The Orb of the Demon Kings shatter like that? That can't happen… no one can break free from the hold of the orb…"

Now that he thought about it, Keiichi was a little confused, too. The orb wasn't supposed to shatter… was it?

But that's when he realized what had happened. The Orb of the Demon Kings bound itself to a demon's soul, and since Mion's soul broke free of its hold when it was bound to her, it just ceased to exist because the binds were destroyed. He couldn't help but grin as Yasuo let out a frustrated grumble as he dropped the shards back on the ground.

"Now this messes everything up. Oh well, I'll resort to Plan B." He stepped forward, crushing the sharps under his shoes as he advanced. "…Takeru-sama told me it was okay to do this in a time where it was desperate."

Suddenly, Yasuo whipped out a knife from up his sleeve and pointed it at the two of them, smirking. "I know Oryou-sama wants you alive, Number Twenty-Seven… no, I guess you're 'Mion' now, hm? Well then, 'Mion," I hope you know that while Oryou-sama wants you alive, Takeru-sama told me that he wants you dead at all costs. You'll ruin everything if you stay alive for any longer."

Mion gritted her teeth.

"So for that reason…"

Yasuo ran forward with the knife in one hand, aiming for the girl's stomach. Mion spun out of the way and got behind him quickly, slashing her claws deeply into his back. As fast as he could, the man turned around with a punch, but she ducked underneath it and proceeded to use her demonic strength to kick him in the side, causing him to gasp out. Her demonic strength was enough to hurt his body, thankfully, though it was still rather bulky and it wasn't as effective as it would be normally.

The man responded to her kick by punching her right in the stomach, also causing her to gasp out. He quickly used this chance to knock her right into a tree, then approaching her with a balled fist.

Keiichi hesitated. They had nearly beaten him before because they had been working together to distract him. If they could do that again, perhaps they could win. He grabbed a stone from the ground and chucked it at the man as hard as he could. Though it was small and barely inflicted any pain on him, it caused him to turn around to find the source of the rock and Mion responded to this opening by thrusting her claws deeply into his back, raking downwards as she went along. He whipped back around and threw her into the tree once again, then punching her over and over again with brutal strength.

Mion coughed out crimson blood onto the man. He wasn't being nice to her at all, even though his other master, Oryou, had specifically told him to treat her well. Not that he ever obligated to that. It was when she truly realized he wouldn't go nice on her. Wincing, she brought a knee up and hit him right in the groin, instantly causing him to yell out and jump backwards. She lunged forward with her hand, using all her strength to claw out a good portion of the skin on his stomach before knocking him backwards by charging into him with her body.

Keiichi grabbed onto an even larger rock and ran forward with it, bashing into his already wounded back with it as hard as he possibly could. Yasuo gasped as he turned around to face him, and when he did, Keiichi threw the rock right at his face, which then proceeded to hit his nose. Blood streamed out of it and painted the ground with droplets as a hollow sound of the rock hitting the ground echoed. Mion wasted no chances. She rammed into his back as hard as she could with her horns, pushing him forward. As he did so, Keiichi raised his fist up in the air and punched the man right in the face.

He fell to the ground. The two of them stood back as they wondered if they had done it, if they had defeated the man.

However, he simply got up, an enraged expression on his face as he spat out the dirt that had gotten in his mouth from the fall. He rubbed his eyes, hoping to restore his vision a little.

An arm was rammed into Mion's stomach and then a foot to Keiichi's leg, both of them stumbling a little from the impact. Mion tried to go at him again, but he grabbed her arms and threw her on the ground with brutal strength. Keiichi's hand latched onto a rock again, and he tossed it right into the man's stomach. He ran towards the boy with a punch, which hit him right in the face. However, during this time, Mion had managed to get up. She punched him in the back, and he whipped around to face her. Then, with all her demonic strength, she lunged her arm forward into the man's stomach.

It went right through. The man looked down at the puncture, horrified. She drew her arm out from the man's stomach and allowed it to rest at her side. It was now coated in blood, but she obviously didn't care.

The man now collapsed on the floor, and satisfaction filled the teenagers as they walked over to the man and stood above him, looking down upon him.

"Yasuo, you've been defeated," Mion told him as she placed a foot on top of him. There was no way that anyone could recover from a wound such as that one.

Yasuo spat into the ground, a frustrated look on his face. "Fine then. You win," he grumbled. There was clear pain on his face and hatred in his eyes. He hated to lose, especially when he had been given such strict orders.

Keiichi smirked. "It looks like your plan isn't going to work, huh?" he commented.

"…Not necessarily," he replied.

Keiichi blinked at that comment. There was still Takeru he had to deal with, and as long as he was alive, there would still be war. Yasuo was right about that. However, he had taken down the strongest one. At least he had done that, right? Besides, now that he had Mion, he was several steps closer to bringing this fight to an end.

"Where's Takeru?" Keiichi demanded.

"…Where… do you _think_ he… is?" Yasuo managed to speak.

Keiichi didn't say anything. Where would he hide if he were Takeru? He needed to find a place that was safe, a place where no one would find him. He also needed a place where he would be protected if someone were to attack.

"Just tell me. You're dying anyways," Keiichi demanded.

"...Figure… it out," he rasped out.

His eyes shut tightly, and then his body lay still. The two of them took a step back and they looked at each other.

"It's done," Keiichi replied. "But we still don't know where Takeru is…"

Mion simply smiled at him. "What does that matter? We'll find him. We should just be proud of ourselves for now." She kicked the man on the side. "Haha, this old bastard is dead! This demon here really is a free demon now!" she laughed loudly with her victory, a huge grin on her face. "Take that, loser!"

Keiichi couldn't help but grin at Mion. She had gone back to her old, competitive self once again. How long ago had it been since he had seen her like that?

"Well, now that that's done, we're going to have to search for Takeru. We can take him down, easy. I must say, Mion, you're not kidding when you say you're good at fighting," he spoke, amazement in his voice as he recalled how hard she had fought. It had been tough before, when she was fighting Yasuo for the first time, since she had been in a state of shock and couldn't think too clearly, but it went over well this time.

Mion wore a mischievous grin. "Well yeah, this demon here is only the best at fighting! And this Takeru guy isn't going to have a chance against me!" She clenched her fists tightly, determination and excitement in her green eyes. "Just watch me again, Kei-chan! I'm going to show everyone who the true hero of Onigafuchi is… and I'll take down this Takeru guy in a matter of seconds. He deserves it after what he's done to me."

Keiichi wondered what Takeru had done to Mion in the past, but he didn't ask. He could ask her some other time. Right now, they needed to focus.

"Where could Takeru be, though?" Mion asked. "I can't destroy him if I don't know where he is."

"…Everyone saw Takeru. It's not like he has a place to hide." Keiichi scratched the top of his head as he thought about it. "Unless…"

Wait, that wasn't true, was it? Not everyone has seen Takeru. There were still the people that stayed at the Sonozaki Manor, and those were all Sonozaki relatives, since they could always get away from the festival when they wanted to because their family was the ones in charge of it, anyways. So if he had people who didn't know, people who would back him up, then…

He looked around him. Now he knew where he was. This was the path to the Sonozaki Manor, which he had been down so many times before. Why hadn't he realized it before?

"Mion!" he cried out. "I know where Takeru is!"

Mion blinked in surprise. "You do?" she asked.

Keiichi nodded. "Yeah, just follow me!"

The two of them turned around, leaving behind the dead body. As they walked down the pathway, Keiichi began to wonder many things. What was going to happen when Mion showed her face at the Sonozaki Manor? He gave her a good look. She looked a lot like her mother, and it was possible that everyone else noticed it at the festival but did not have time to go and tell the Sonozaki family, either that or they thought it was just a coincidence, seeing as Shion wasn't present.

Someone at the Sonozaki Manor would definitely notice it.

_Could this be… the time where everyone finds out the truth about Mion?_

Keiichi didn't know, but for her sake, he hoped so.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2:  
>I actually finished this two days ago but I didn't want to upload so that we could spread out the time between updates, since that's always better than updating all at once. It gives me some time to relax in between chapters, too, knowing that I have a chapter at the ready that I can upload anytime I feel like it. That being said, I feel like uploading it, so I did.<strong>

**That was very dramatic for me to write. …If that made any sense at all. It didn't? Well, I guess what I mean is that it was very dramatic and I could feel it when I wrote it, like those whole paragraphs about her being snapped back to normal. I hope you all understand why The Orb of the Demon Kings exploded when she turned back to normal. Basically, it was bound to her soul and when her soul broke free, so did the orb. …Does that make any more sense, or did I just make it even more confusing? Ah, oh well. **

**Winter Break has been good so far. I went out with my friends yesterday and wandered around for around five hours. We were actually doing English extra credit, which I need because my English teacher seems to hate giving children As. It was kind of miserable at first. It was cloudy, it was cold… try waiting for a bus in the bitter cold for around thirty minutes when all you are wearing is a light sweater and a medium jacket. I was shivering. But it got better after that, thankfully. …And what do you mean by "seven more days until Christmas?" …Seriously? Wow. Just wow. I don't think I have very much on my wish list. Also, I need to buy Tsumiboroshi-hen Volume 2. Because I don't want to wait. And I have money.**

**I also want to ask you guys if you have any suggestions for what I should watch (anime) during winter break. Break is the only time I can watch new series due to the amount of work I have, and I can usually finish a twenty-something episode anime in around four days if I'm into it. If you have any, would you mind recommending me some?**

**Please review as usual. Maybe less people reviewed due to the lack of "reward" last chapter? Well then, take a Keiichi figure if you review, and if you point out typos, I'll give you some hot chocolate, because everyone loves that when it's winter. Unless you don't.**

**~Crimso**

**P.S: I seriously need to come up with better titles for these chapters. Really... I'm just out of ideas.**


	36. Chapter 35: Identity

**Crimso's Notes:**

**Oh boy. Winter break has been great so far. I love winter break very much~. Yeah, you know how people are when it comes to breaks during the school day. I also am hoping for a lot of snow… but only during the school days, so that they'll cancel school and give us a snow day. I like snow days… I'm sure everyone does. Especially when they give us a snow day and then there's actually no snow. A day of school wasted… for nothing! Like how they kept putting off field day this year because of the rain… and they called it on Wednesday, causing my teacher to cancel my test, and then they canceled that too… which forced my teacher to move it a week or two. But that's enough with the rambling. School is awful and no one wants to think about it during Christmas break.**

**Note: Still Watanagashi… I'm going to say that this applies to ALL chapters until I have a note that says "it is no longer Watanagashi."**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Identity**

As the Furude Demons approached the Furude shrine, now painted with red splatters of blood and corpses on the ground, Kaede took in just how much damage had been done. She counted around sixty corpses, and there were many injured attempting to struggle away. It seemed as if they were holding them there, some demons blocking pathways to escape and chasing them back into the crowd, where they were promptly met with sharp claws, screaming out as death took them, more corpses being added to the count. It was truly a horrifying sight.

"It looks like we have quite a battle," breathed Kaede. There were a few demon corpses on the ground, but that still meant that there were a lot more demons that were living. She estimated around thirty-seven still living, judging by the amount her eyes could catch. "But there's no way that we're going to give up here." She turned around to her group.

"Listen up, everyone!" she cried out to all of them. "Now, I want you to know that for some of you, maybe many of you, this will be your very last battle. But that's hardly what matters! We've been ordered by Furude Rika herself to take down all the demons we can, even if that means death. Therefore… I want all of you to forget about that. Fight like you've never fought before!"

All the demons cheered out in understanding.

"Now _GO,_" she yelled.

All the demons rushed by her at once, but yet, the head of them all stood still, watching as her group of demons went right into battle. For some of them, it would be the last battle they would fight. Actually, she hoped that it would be. After this… she hoped that no more battles would ever occur.

She had hoped never to fight again. This whole scene was reminding her too much of the time that Koichi attacked Makoto after her announcement. That whole scene came flashing back to her, all the death that she had seen, all the blood spilt, and finally, the death of her master and the rule of demons. It was then that she became a servant, destined to serve the Furude family forever.

Not that she minded it anymore.

She took a deep breath as she turned back around to face the battle before her. Many were fighting, and some of her demons were already being defeated by the demons below, as well as some Kimiyoshi demons being killed off by her demons.

"Kaede!" a voice cried out to her.

She looked around instantly, spotting a demon with dark blue hair and lavender eyes blinking up at her. She knew who it was instantly, and a huge smile grew across her face as she met those eyes of his. It was good to see them so full of emotion, unlike those golden eyes he had been forced to have for such a long time. "Kai!" she called back to him. He was covered in blood, indicating that he had been fighting for quite a bit now.

He walked over to her, and turned to face the fight. "It's been rough. I managed to take a few demons down, but they've injured me badly as well." He narrowed her eyes as he stared at the demons before him, the demons he used to rule over. "I can't believe that I was once one of those demons, and I'm glad that that Orb of the Demon Kings has finally let go of me. Now, I can fight this final battle as myself."

Kaede did not question his use of words. "I am hoping that I can do my best for my final battle. It'll be tough, but I know my demons are up to it. I just hope that my skills have not gotten rusty." She glanced to her hands as she allowed her claws to unsheathe. How long had it been since she let those things out? "Well, we will have to see. But there is no longer any time to waste by chatting like this, Kai. We have to go and fight now."

Kai didn't budge. He looked down at his feet, blinking. There was a dark expression on his face, and Kaede instantly knew what he was thinking about.

"Hey, Kaede?" Kai spoke.

"Yes?" Kaede replied.

"…Do you think that Makoto will forgive me?" he asked.

Kaede was not surprised. She had been suspecting that he would ask such a thing. Makoto had been his best friend, after all. "Of course she will. You had no choice but to turn into one of those demons that obeyed no matter what. The Orb of the Demon Kings made sure of that." She looked at him, a stern look in her eyes. "Listen, Kai. Fight this one last battle for her. She's watching you, and with this, she can forgive you."

Kai nodded, a smile on his face. "All right."

Kaede turned back to the world before her. Every second spent meant another life that could not be saved, and judging by the time they had spent talking, too many lives had been lost. "Let us go."

The orange-haired demon instantly jumped into the crowd, her claws unsheathed and ready to tear through flesh. However, Kai stood there for a little bit longer, long enough to mutter a few words. "Makoto, I'll be with you soon. For now, just watch me…" And with those final words, he jumped into the crowd.

**~~~~X~~~~**

Mion and Keiichi found themselves running down the paths of Onigafuchi with one goal in mind. Now that Yasuo was done for, they needed to stop Takeru and order him to turn all the demons back to normal. Keiichi was clutching his bleeding stomach as they went along, feeling pain from running with so many injuries. In truth, Mion had barely scratched him, but so many times caused quite a bit of blood and quite a bit of pain. He would need to sit down and fix his injuries before anything happened.

But first, they had to get the manor. He could find some time when they were inside there to fix it. He looked over to his friend, who had all her injuries healed right up and was in perfect condition to continue onwards. If he couldn't attack Takeru or anything like that, she certainly could. Who knew what he was doing in there, though, or where he could be. Did his family know about the incident yet? If so, then he had probably been attacked by his family. Yasuo was no longer there to protect him.

Well, he could have ordered one demon to follow him around and protect him from danger. But either way, he was probably still alive judging by the fact that all the demons were still out massacring people. He could still hear their faint screams coming from the distance, and it made him cringe.

The gate of the Sonozaki Manor greeted the two of them. He looked over to Mion, who was staring at her old home. She could see the very fields she had to run across in order to gain her freedom, and somewhere in those trees, she knew that the basement was there. Her eyes fixed on the giant building, and she was instantly taken aback by how big it was. She hadn't really been paying attention to that when they were escaping before.

He wondered if the Sonozaki family would know who she was when they saw her.

_This may be the time… the time where Mion's identity becomes known._

The two of them flung the gate open, rather surprised that it was unlocked. The Sonozaki family usually was more concerned about security and those kinds of things. The two of them instantly dashed across the garden and into the manor at once, with the door once again open. They found themselves running down the hallways, passing by many doors as they went along. For some reason, there weren't any people in the hallways, though it was a fact that they were very thankful of.

He didn't know where to go now. Which door to enter? He wondered if he should go to Takeru's room… but that would be an obvious place to hide. Everyone would know that he was there and that would be the first place anyone would check. Mion blinked at him as the boy tried to make up his mind as to where to go.

"Kei-chan?" she asked.

"Hold on…"

His ears picked up the sounds of people's voices from nearby, and he looked over to the girl. He nodded to her and began to walk forwards down the hall, to where the voices were coming from.

"…Is that so?" a voice said.

"Yes. It's true. And then he laughed at the suffering and…"

Keiichi didn't know what they were talking about, but he knew that voice was Takeru's. He looked over to Mion, and with a quick nod, told her that that door was the right one. He walked right up to it and placed his hand on it, ready to enter.

"Mion, are you ready for this?" he asked her.

The girl smiled. "Who the hell do you think I am? This demon here is ready for anything!" she said in a hushed voice.

He didn't know what they would do when they entered, as the first thing they needed to do was find out the situation at hand. Did they know about him or not? Were servants in there or just a small amount of people? Maybe it was just Takeru and one other person. He took a deep breath. Whatever it would be, Mion said that she was ready, and Keiichi believed her when she said that. She was Mion, after all.

And with a quick motion, he pulled the sliding door back.

All eyes in the room turned to him as soon as the door blocking their sight was removed, and he found himself staring back. Inside the room was a total of four people. There was Takeru himself, his father, his mother, and Oryou. He felt his heart rate increase as they all stared at the two of them, and Mion looked a little nervous as well at the sight of Oryou. She had been her master, after all, and she didn't look pleased in the slightest right now. Slowly, Mion reached behind her and shut the door.

"Maebara Keiichi?" Akane spoke, shock in her voice.

"And…?" his father turned to look at Mion, confusion in his eyes.

Takeru stood there with horror in his eyes as he looked at the two of them, but his attention was mostly focused on Mion. Oryou, on the other hand, looked very surprised as well, but she was doing her best to cover that up.

"That's right, Kimiyoshi Masaru interrupted the sacrifice," Oryou spoke as she took a sip of her tea. "So you're still alive. But what in the world are you doing here?"

Keiichi ignored her and turned towards Takeru, anger burning his eyes as he looked at him. "You!" he yelled out as he pointed a finger towards the boy. "What in the world are you doing here, and why isn't your family doing anything about you?" he demanded at once. Indeed, his parents and his grandmother were calm about having him near them. Did they really know about the incident, or had no one told them yet?

Takeru narrowed his eyes back. "What are you doing here, thief? And what in the world are you talking about?" he asked.

Mion stepped forward, glaring at the green-haired boy. "Don't act stupid, you idiot. We know what you did!"

Akane looked to her son, confusion in her eyes, though that died and she looked back at the two of them. "Are you referring to the fact that he is in hiding when he's supposed to be the Hero, out there taking down the enemy?" she asked him. Her face softened with worry as she looked over to her son once again. "Well, in that case, my son is feeling a little worried about the whole situation, and thinks he can't do it. I've always known that there was some kind of mistake with this hero thing. So that's what's going on. Anyways, Maebara-san, it's good to see that you're still alive, but I don't like what's going on with this Masaru thing…"

Keiichi blinked at her. "Masaru… thing?" he repeated.

She nodded. "You know, don't you? That Kimiyoshi Masaru is out there massacring people with his demons. They hadn't really been stolen."

Keiichi looked absolutely shocked when she spoke those words, words that weren't true at all. When he turned to Takeru, he noticed a dark smirk on his face. That was enough to confirm that the boy had completely lied about the situation, and that they thought that he was not evil at all. He was simply hiding from the battle because he was scared that he was not the Hero, and that Kimiyoshi Masaru would kill him. This was the story that his parents and Oryou believed.

"But that's wrong!" Mion instantly screamed out. "That boy's a liar! Don't listen to him! Kimiyoshi Masaru has done nothing wrong but find out the truth behind The Legend of the Hero, and that boy certainly isn't the Hero, like you think!" She pointed towards him. "But that's not a good thing at all. He's really the villain, and he's hiding in here while the demons he stole from Kimiyoshi do all the work with the massacring!"

Takeru's father growled at her. "What the hell? Do you expect me to believe those lies? I believe in my son no matter what, not some random Sonozaki demon who shows up out of the blue thinking she knows the truth. Besides, what in the world are you doing with a Sonozaki demon, Maebara?" he questioned.

It made him realize that the man did not recognize that Mion was his daughter, and that worried him a little. It would be easier if he had recognized her right away.

"They aren't lies!" he protested. "It's the truth! She's telling the truth!"

Takeru pointed to the girl's collar. "Don't listen to them and their lies, Mother, Father, Grandmother. Look at that collar. He stole her from the Sonozaki basement and is now keeping her as his pet, and he tricked her into believing all of this!" he yelled out. "He's no better than Kimiyoshi Masaru! That's why he was chosen to be sacrificed!"

Akane blinked at Keiichi, sudden hostility in her eyes. "Are you really trying to accuse my son of such a thing?" she nearly spat. It made Keiichi realize just how protective she was, probably having come from losing her twins before. This caused him to briefly glance at Mion, hoping that she would recognize her already. Would they believe him a little more then? "I know that what you're saying is a lie. Now, just come sit down and tell me more about this whole incident. Takeru was just explaining what had happened and—"

"No!" Keiichi yelled out. "We're telling the truth! That boy… he's the reason behind the death and he's tricked you all!" He seemed to be realizing that all attempts to convince them were pretty much worthless. They were all sure that their heir had nothing to do with all the deaths that were going on, and that Kimiyoshi Masaru was the one to blame for it. Takeru must be a very convincing liar. "Kimiyoshi Masaru told us the truth, and he admitted it himself! Just as any villager!"

There was silence that followed, and every Sonozaki, Mion aside, was staring at him with hate and unfriendliness in their eyes. Akane had been nicer before, but it looked like she was about to tear him to shreds at the idea that her only son, and who she thought to be her only child, was the mastermind behind it all.

Finally, Oryou spoke. "You lowly outsider!" she yelled out to the boy. "What in the world makes you think you can just march in here and feed us all unbelievable lies? I know that my grandson is the Hero and that he is not so low that he would murder many people and _steal demons._ Akane, this is why I chose him as the sacrifice! I wish Masaru had never interrupted so that we could have just tore his stomach out right away!" She turned towards Takeru's father. "You, you're strong, aren't you? Fight these brutes off!"

Takeru's father nodded and he stood up, cracking his knuckles. Like his brother, he seemed to be a rather bulky and large man, and Keiichi gulped at the sight of him angry. He too seemed very protective of his son, and seeing them say such things about him was not the least bit pleasing. He ran towards them with his fist, ready to punch both of them.

But Mion intersected his punch with her own, using her demonic strength in that punch. He wasn't as strong as his brother, she noted, and the punch was enough to block his. She grabbed onto his arm and dug her claws right in to it as she threw him to the ground with as much strength as she could possibly use, which was quite a bit considering that she was a demon. A normal person couldn't possibly manage to do that, as the man was quite a bit larger than herself.

His eyes widened as he felt a kick go to his back, and he found that her strength was enough to make it actually hurt. He growled as he stood up, looking at the girl with fierceness in his eyes. He was really mad at her for being able to throw him off just like that. However, the girl ignored him and ran right for Takeru, her claws outstretched as she prepared to claw him right to death. Horror painted his face as he realized that she was coming right at him, and he knew that he couldn't counter her.

But Takeru's father managed to push her out of the way and into a wall, though Mion quickly bounced back from such a move and ran towards him with sharp claws. He growled as he felt her claws impale his stomach and rake down, and he couldn't help but allow a cry of pain to come out of his mouth. Oryou was watching eagerly, hoping that he would be able to fight her off, and Akane was narrowing her eyes at the demon before her. She looked murderous.

Keiichi hesitated. He knew he should be doing something, but just what was he supposed to do? He may just get in the way considering how well Mion was doing.

With him temporally down, Mion ran back towards Takeru, baring her fangs at the boy and showing great hostility. She would _not_ be nice with him, that was for sure. She raised her claws in the air, ready to strike down.

But the man quickly got in front of him again, holding his arms out wide. He was breathing heavily as he looked at the girl before him, the girl that could hardly compare in size. Yet, she was enough to take him down, and he knew he didn't have much of a chance against her. Still, there was determination in his eyes, and he was not about to give up. "You're good, Number Twenty-Seven," he spoke, looking to her collar and causing her to growl at the number. "But you're not touching my son, and that's final!"

That's when she looked back at him with such fierceness in his eyes, such determination, that it caused his eyes to widen. "And I'm not giving up either!" she yelled out. "Get out of my way!" She instantly pushed him to the side, and he didn't even resist. His eyes were wide with shock after seeing such a look in her eyes, a look full of pure determination.

"…Was I imagining it?" he whispered. He looked over to his wife. That was the same look she gave when she fought during training sessions when she was younger. It had completely thrown him off guard. "…It was just my imagination… right?"

Mion tackled right into Takeru, ferociously beginning to tear at him with her claws. This caused horror to build through the whole room, and Keiichi wondered if she was really going to go ahead and kill him. He wanted to tell her to stop, and that he had to live in order for him to order the demons to stop doing what they were doing and hopefully go back to the life they were living before. However, he didn't know what to say to her.

Takeru cried out in pain as he felt her claws rake across him anywhere she could get her hands on. And no matter how hard he pleaded for her to stop, she kept going, tearing at every inch of skin possible. She just wanted revenge for everything he had done to her.

But that's when she was thrown off him, and she stepped back in surprise. Blood dripped from her claws and onto the ground as she looked into the eyes of the person who had just stopped her, interrupting her kill.

It was none other than Akane, who was now wearing a murderous look of complete and utter rage on her face as she stared at the demon who had just tried to murder her son, not knowing that she was in fact her very own daughter. She didn't seem to recognize this fact at all.

"You demon, get the hell away from my son!" she spat at her. "If you think that I'll believe the words of a _monstrous_, _crazy_ demon like you, then you're just plain stupid. I know that my son is an innocent boy and that he would never try to massacre the village or anything like that. He's my only child, and I don't want to lose him like I lost the others! You, on the other hand, are a filthy _liar_ and an _evil_ demon. Who would believe in what you had to say, you _monster_?" she asked, staring at her with pure anger. "Get the hell away from him!"  
>Mion growled at her. "I'm not going to move, and I'm not lying!" she yelled back.<p>

"Well then, that's what you say, you _thing_. I know my son well enough to know that you're the liar in this situation and you're no different from the other demons that love nothing more than to hear people scream out in terror. You're a monster, the horns are proof of it," her tone was one that was harsh, harsher than anything anyone in the room had ever heard before. "Of course you would never understand… you're just a demon. You're just trying to trick us so that you can taste blood. So, you hideous _demon_, get the _hell_ away from my son!"

There was astonishment in Mion's eyes as she took a step away from the woman before her, completely shocked at how protective she was over her son. Was this how a mother acted towards their child? Was this the kind of motherly love that she hadn't ever experienced in her life? She just didn't get why she would want to protect a murderer, when it was clear by what she had said that he was the culprit and in no way innocent.

Everyone else seemed shocked, too, aside from Oryou.

"Akane… don't say that to her," she warned her. "You don't even know what you're saying."

"But Mother—!"

Oryou sighed. "I know. She's lying, but you shouldn't say such words to her. You're going to regret them later…"

Takeru's father blinked at those words, and he looked from the demon girl to Akane, then back. Yes, Akane really did wear the same look she did when she was determined. It was almost as if they were related. Gulping as he looked to his injuried son, he realized he had to do something about those injuries. Slowly walking over, he began to strip off pieces of his shirt to press against the wounds.

Akane turned to Takeru, who wore a pained expression on his face as his father took care of him. Keiichi was clutching his stomach, where blood was beginning to collect in deeper amounts, and he was in pain, though his eyes were frantically darting between people as he wondered what he should do. His father still looked shocked and was staring between Mion and Akane, his vision shifting. Oryou was sipping her tea casually, and Mion was standing there with a growing look of determination returning to her face.

"Why won't you believe me?" Mion asked Akane. "I'm telling the truth!"

"No you're not!" bellowed Akane. "My son is not a murder! He's only hiding in here because he believes he's not ready for the fight, and that someone else will take him down! I knew there was something funny about the legend before." She clenched her fists tightly. "That damn legend… messing with my children. It made me lose two for no reason and then make my son into some kind of fake hero…"

Mion blinked curiously at her words. She had lost two because of the legend? The legend stated that the twins were evil and that they needed to be killed, and if she had lost two, did that mean…?

_She's my… mother..._ Mion realized. It was odd for her to use such a word.

"But in any case, I will not move aside, and if you make me, I'll fight you with that katana!" She pointed to the katana in the corner of the room, and Mion locked her eyes on it, then turning back to the woman. She could easily grab the katana and take her down… but the realization that the woman before her was her mother was preventing her from doing such a thing. Didn't mothers love their children? Wasn't she supposed to love her? Then why was she saying those horrible things before? "My son is not—"

"Mom," a voice interrupted her. "You… really shouldn't be speaking to her like that."

Akane blinked at him. "Why?" she questioned. "She's just a demon!"

Takeru sighed. He then turned to Oryou. "Grandmother, do you happen to have any guns?"

"I have one here, just in case. It's behind the cabinet," she informed him.

Takeru nodded and walked over to the cabinet. Mion growled and tried to run after him, but Akane grabbed her shoulder roughly. It caused her eyes to widen and look over up at her mother. This was the first time she had felt her mother's hand, and it wasn't a very pleasant experience. It was supposed to feel warm, but right now, she was forcing it to hurt. Keiichi looked ready to take him down as well, but as soon as he began to step forward, Takeru's father ran towards him and blocked off his way.

The boy reached his hand behind the cabinet and picked up the gun. It was small, but it looked like it could do some damage anyways. He pointed it right at Mion, positioning for the shoot.

A shot rung out from the gun. Everyone turned to look at the scene, at the amount of damage that it had done to the demon girl.

…Which was absolutely none at all.

"…T-Takeru?" Akane stammered out as she looked to the bullet wound in her shoulder, which was now pouring out blood. It had only barely hit, though it was enough to cause blood and some damage. She looked horrified as she turned to her son, who was pointing the gun directly at her with a stern look on his face. It appeared as if he had changed the direction of the gun right before he shot, causing the not so careful aim of the shot and the minimal damage.

Keiichi blinked, completely stunned by what had happened. Akane had been on his side, and he had just gone ahead and shot her. She was fully supportive of him, and was willing to protect him no matter what. There had been no reason for him to suddenly turn on her like that. What in the world was he planning?

Oryou, on the other hand, looked more horrified than anyone had ever seen before. Mion looked to her mother, slightly relieved that the bullet had not hit her but afraid of why he had just done that.

"What the hell, Takeru!" screamed his father. "What in the world are you—"

"What's the point anymore?" he replied, lowering the gun. "There's no point anymore. That's why I did it." He clenched his teeth and looked down at the ground, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "After all… it's all going to become useless in ten seconds."

Keiichi blinked. "Huh?"

That's when he heard it. It was something he should have heard a long time ago. It was footsteps, and very loud ones at that.

"…Five seconds."

The footsteps stopped, and he could hear the hand of someone on the door.

"…Four, three, two, one, zero…"

The moment the last number was spoken, the door was slid right open, causing Keiichi to jump out of the way.

"Stop right now, Takeru!" a familiar voice yelled out. "You're just pretending that—… huh?"

Right in the doorway, much to everyone's surprise was a boy with blonde hair and another Sonozaki demon, who was completely identical to the demon who was there before. It caused Takeru's father to instantly glance to the demon that was already in the room, and then back to her, and then back to Akane… horror lit up his face as realization hit him hard.

"Sis!" yelped Mion as she stared at the identical demon before her.

"Satoshi! ?" cried Keiichi.

"Sis!" Shion yelled back.

"Keiichi!" cried Satoshi. "What are you doing here?"  
>"What are you doing here, Satoshi? I thought you were with Satoko!" Keiichi yelled out.<p>

"No time to explain, right now… there's an issue!" Satoshi turned towards the group of shocked adults, and he scanned them, trying to figure out the situation at hand. Takeru was looking down at the ground, his expression unreadable, but he could see drops of tears falling down from his face and hitting the ground. He looked to the others. Oryou was rubbing her temples, sighing. Keiichi was surprised, and Mion was running happily up to her sister, who returned an equally as happy look. A look of complete surprise was on Takeru's father's face, and Akane looked troubled and surprised as she tried to understand what was going on.

"Sis! Sis!" cried Shion as she tightly embraced her sister, tears of happiness filling her eyes as she held her as close as she possibly could. "Oh, Sis! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Mion returned the embrace, the warm feeling she had missed so much filling her instantly. She had really missed her sister. "I've been looking for you, too! I was so worried, I thought that the family had captured you again…!"

"Me too! Oh sis… I'm so glad…"

Keiichi and Satoshi smiled at the scene before them. It was very touching to see the two reunite again, as both of them knew how much they wanted to see each other again and how close they had been. It was amazing for the two of them to meet again and feel that warm feeling that they had missed so much.

But their attention was quickly drawn to Oryou, who let out a large sigh. "Ah… it looks like I have a lot of explaining to do…"

Takeru's father nodded. "Indeed you do." He turned back towards Mion and Shion, who had broken out of their embrace and was now staring at the scene before them. "I have to say, Number Twenty-Seven… you're just like your mother when you fight."

Akane looked extremely confused. "W-What's going on? !" she demanded.

Oryou let out another sigh. "Ah, where do I start…"

"How about by apologizing?" suggested Takeru's father. It occurred to everyone in the room that he was very, very, very angry and upset about something, and everyone who knew was very silent. That was everyone but Akane who was still trying to figure it out.

Oryou sighed once again. She seemed to be doing that quite a bit. "I'm sorry. I'm _really sorry._" It was shocking to hear Oryou talk like that. Not even Akane had heard her mother speak in such a way, which confused her even more.

"Will someone please explain? !" demanded Akane.

"Akane… you can't tell?" spoke Takeru's father as he looked at the twin demons before him.

She glanced to the twins, a pain in her heart beginning to grow. "Explain… please…" she requested. Perhaps deep down inside of her heart, she already knew.

"They're your daughters," Oryou told her, looking down at the sheets of her futon as she said those words.

An alarm went off in Akane's brain as she stared at her mother in disbelief. Then, she whipped around to look at the twin demons with shock and horror painted on her face. They looked at her solemnly, unable to read what she was thinking about them right now. She gazed up and down their bodies, finding that they did bear a striking resemblance to her. She didn't know if she could believe it, but the fact that they were both identical was too much evidence.

She took a few steps backwards and sat down, shock painting her face as she tried to process it.

"I'm sorry, Akane. I wanted to tell you one day, but Takeru told me not to. I was afraid of this." She looked away. "The truth is that the moment I took them away from you, I couldn't bear to kill them. They may have been known as the evil twins from the legend, but they were still my beautiful granddaughters. And I turned them into demons because I didn't know what to do with them, and then I locked them in a cage. I didn't ever let them outside because I was scared of what would happen if someone were to find out, and… they've been there ever since. Even when I killed all the other demons, I kept these two alive. I couldn't bear to kill them." It was rare to see Oryou admit all her mistakes and show such emotion aside from anger, though no one seemed to care as they listened to her tale. Her voice really did contain deep regret. "But Maebara Keiichi stole them… and I'm actually grateful for that. Perhaps they've learned what they've needed to know."

Akane was still sitting there, a look of shock on her face. She still couldn't process all this.

"I do not know if you can forgive me for this, but I apologize," Oryou finished.

Takeru's father seemed very upset. "You should have just given them to us. Then none of this would have ever happened. Akane would have never been heartbroken and everything could have gone on fine." He turned to Takeru. "…And for shooting my wife, which is pretty much just admitting to all this just by doing that, I know for a fact that you, Takeru, are just one big mistake."

Takeru looked away, though his vision was still at the ground.

"Admit it. Are you really the killer like my daughter said?" asked Takeru's father as he stepped up towards his son, who didn't even bother to answer. He got a little annoyed with this. "Takeru, look at me and answer the question."

However, the boy didn't move.

"Takeru!" he yelled out. He grabbed the boy by the chin and forcefully raised his head so that he could look into his eyes.

Takeru was no longer crying. Instead, a look of complete and utter madness replaced that, which was something that set an alarm off in the man's head. It startled him, to say the very, very, very least. A single hand went to his stomach as he clutched it tighter, though his father had helped stop the bleeding. "Of c-course," he answered with a slight chuckle, though his voice was shaken. "And… ahaha… it's not w-worth anything anymore. It's just as you said. I'm a… mistake. I'm only a replacement for my sisters, who never really died. That's why I did all this… because I knew that I was nothing more than a mistake. I-… I… just wanted to be someone great. And to do that, you never could find out about them." He looked over to the demons. "So…"

The first thing that met him was a punch to the fist, and the extremely disappointed look of his dad.

"Well, it would have been fine if we saw them if you didn't do something like this," he replied. "You didn't need to do this. You just messed everything up for yourself… by your own hand."

Those words hit Takeru like a bullet, and he clenched his fists. Had he really done such a thing? "…A-ahh… w-well… t-too late. I …guess."

The boy turned towards the door and the next thing anyone knew, he was running out of it. He whipped by the twins and Keiichi and Satoshi, and the two instantly got ready to dash after them. However, before they could do anything, a hand that was stuck out stopped them from going anywhere. It was Takeru's father, and he was looking at them with a serious look.

"Don't. Give the boy some time to think about what he did and maybe this will all become undone. I don't want to kill him. As I said before, it would be fine if he didn't do any of this." He looked towards the boy as he ran further down the hallway, and further away from them. "And now, we need some time to sort everything that had just happened out."

He turned towards his wife. "Akane, are you all right?" he asked her as he stepped towards her, bending down and looking at her wounded shoulder. It was not only her mental state that he was worried about. He ripped off a good amount of the cloth that made up his shirt, and then began to tie it around the spot that had been hurt. As he did so, the woman did not speak a single word, and it was scaring the man. "Please, speak…" he begged.

She was stunned. She had just found out that her only son was a murderer, and that the twins she had given birth to had not actually been killed, and that they had been turned into demons and kept in a cell for all their lives. There were tears beginning to trickle down her face, and it was clear that she was having a hard time with all of this.

Mion looked concerned and she stepped towards her mother, sitting down by her side and placing a hand on her other shoulder.

"I'm sorry about Takeru," she told her gently. "I was trying to explain everything, but… I'm sorry." She sighed. "I know you'd rather have him than a demon like my sister and I… so I'm sorry for that as well." She recalled the words she had spoke to her when she was fighting her off. "I'm—"

Suddenly, Akane threw her arms around the girl and hugged her tightly as she began to cry harder. Mion blinked in surprise at this action, as she had not been expecting her to do that. "…Huh?" she managed to speak out. "I—"

"_I'm so sorry… so sorry,_" Akane spoke. "I called you all those bad things and I should have believed you from the start… I… I didn't know that you were my daughter. If I had known then…. Oh god…" She squeezed her daughter tighter, finding comfort in her. "I knew… I knew there was a reason I hated him when he was born. But that changed and… I loved him… but he's really… he's really…"

Mion could do nothing but let her mother hold her for a little while. It seemed to be comforting to her to hold her daughter like this.

After a while, she stood up, looking down on her daughter who then stood up as well. She looked over to Shion, who was shocked at the scene before her. This whole night had been full of surprises.

"Identical twin girls… just like I wanted…" she whispered.

Shion walked over to her mother and joined her sister's side, staring at her curiously.

She smiled through her tears and wiped away the ones that were crawling down her face. She looked at her daughters, who wore identical looks of confusion on their faces.

"I'm sorry… about everything. I don't know if you can accept me… but if you can… can you please call me 'Mom' from now on?" she asked both of them.

"B-But wait!" cried Mion. "Aren't you going to reject us because we're demons and we have these horns?" There was fear in her eyes as she recalled the words she had said to her before, and all the terrible names. "We can't ever be considered your daughters because you're human and we're demon!"

Akane shook her head. "That doesn't matter. You're… still my daughters…"

Mion and Shion looked surprised that she would accept them so quickly, but they were happy nevertheless. They had finally met their mother, who didn't hate them or anything like that. It had been a fear, that their mother would hate them when they met them because they were demons and they had horns that completely differentiated them from humans.

"Of course, Mom," said Mion with a smile.

"We'll call you that!" cried Shion.

Akane nodded, tears in her eyes. But this time, they were not tears of sadness. They were tears of joy. "And as for you girls… I always wanted to name you 'Mion' and 'Shion…' if that's okay…."

"We know," replied Mion. "Kei-chan named us that."

Akane blinked in surprise as she looked towards the boy.

Keiichi nodded. "You remember when I asked you for their names?" he asked her. "That's why I needed them, because they needed names. The one with the ponytail is named Mion and the one with the ribbons is Shion. That's how I remember them, anyways."

Akane smiled as she looked down at her two daughters. It was perfect. She had two, beautiful, identical twin girls who had the names that she had always wanted.

Oryou looked surprised that she wasn't receiving anything bad from her child yet, but she knew that the worst was to come the moment she gained herself again. Her daughter's husband had not been kind at all when he found out the truth, and if she had to be honest with herself, Oryou didn't blame them.

But still… there was the matter of Takeru at hand, which had hit her _hard_.

"We need to figure this out. That aside… Satoshi…" Keiichi, who was still holding his stomach, which had mostly stopped bleeding, turned to look at the blonde-haired boy, who had been silent since he had entered. "Why are you here?"

Satoshi looked around him. "All right then, allow me to explain everything…"

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Okay, okay. So let me just say that it's horribly hard to write a scene with eight people in the room where the attention is focused around maybe three of them (I'm referring to the scene with Akane and Shmion at the end there) and it's very tough when there's so many things that go on in this chapter… really, I can't believe how much I just fit in 7,000 words. Okay, so chapter Twenty-Eight of Green-Eyed Demon takes the cake when it comes to shorter chapters with so much in them, but still. It's very hard and I hope you understand it. And yes… Akane did have a moment that seemed unlike her there, but so much just happened to her in a few minutes and well… it's not far from how one would react to such a thing. I did attempt to clean up a little but still, I do feel a little shaky about this chapter as a whole...**

**Moving on, did anyone see the RAWs for File Four? Yes, they have them out all ready. I did, and it was very touching even though I couldn't understand too much of it. It was a fitting way to end the OVAs and I am sure that none of you will be disappointed. It was very sad and it makes me wonder why everyone wants to see them stuck back in the time loop. That said, small Rika is very cute and when she said "Nipah," I nearly died of how cute it was. Also… Mion, what happened to your tattoo? The animators don't seem to acknowledge/are forgetting about its existence. Well, I guess the anime doesn't detail it and mentions it maybe once. But still, I like her tattoo. It makes her more interesting as a character… even though she was all ready very interesting. Also, the amount of Shmion was satisfying. I was thinking they would rarely get any screen time… but nope.**

**I feel greedy when I ask for reviews, so this time, I'm just going to ask kindly to leave a review and tell me areas where I can improve or what you liked about the chapter and predictions and that stuff. Also, typos. Thank you.**

**~Crimso**


	37. Chapter 36: Promise

**Crimso's Notes**

**Christmas was great this year, I got all the things I wanted and everything was happy all around. I enjoy this time of year because of the break and the atmosphere outside… it's never very dark and it's always very cheery. That's a good thing. Really, Christmas is a wonderful time and I'm sad that it won't be back until next year. But hey, we have New Years coming up soon, and that's always an exciting time. I wonder what I'm doing this year. I actually don't know. **

**Note: Okay, so we all know (…maybe) that it is very tough to write when there are many people in one spot and there are only a few people doing the talking. Keep that in mind, but really, I will do my best. **

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Promise**

The Sonozaki Manor was now rather peaceful after the whole incident that had just taken place. Takeru could be seen scurrying away from the manor and out the gate, to who knew where. They certainly hoped what his father had said had put some sense into him, and hopefully would make him change his mind about the whole incident. A hundred… no, hundred were probably already dead. If they could convince Takeru, then they could stop the murder, and prevent themselves from having to kill him.

"He's not really a bad guy," The twins' father spoke, "he'll come to himself."

Akane nodded at her husband. "I… hope so."

The twins began to talk to each other, explaining the many things that had happened over the last few days when they were away. They were both very happy to be near each other again after a long period of being away, and they were both glad to be able to feel that warm feeling once again. They had missed it so much.

Meanwhile, Satoshi and Keiichi were discussing what was currently going on.

"So, why did you come here?" Keiichi asked.

"Well, as you know… I kind of… you know, took Shion in after the whole incident…" He seemed a little ashamed about admitting it after realizing that it was Keiichi who had had them at first, and that he hadn't returned her to him. Then again, he didn't know. But that wasn't the type of person Satoshi was. "Well… after the whole thing with Takeru happened after the ceremony, Rika got Shion and told her about everything, and as soon as she heard that her sister was being controlled… well, she kind of ran off." He glanced over to the twins, who were chatting happily to each other. "She bumped into me, though, and I promised I would find her. But before that happened, we decided to check on the Sonozaki Manor. I thought that's where Takeru would be hiding…" He rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't know you two would be here, though."

Keiichi grinned. "Well, I guess everything worked out. Mion and Shion are together again, their parents know that they are alive, we found out why Takeru has done this and perhaps convinced him to change everything back and stop this… it's all heading in our direction." He paused for a moment. "...I wonder what's going on with the others."

"Rika and Satoko are setting up some traps, and the Furude demons have arrived at the shrine and are taking down the Kimiyoshi demons. Rena… I met her on the way here. She went to go look for Takeru at the other side of the town, she had talked to him a while ago but wanted to again for some reason." He scratched his head as he tried to recall the rest. "Um… um… I think Kai is still fighting… and… that's about it."

"Then, what should we do now?" Keiichi asked as he looked around the room. There was no longer anything to do here, as all of their work had been completed.

"I think we should find Takeru. By the time we do, he probably had thought about it a little, and we can push him back in the right direction. It's good we let him go…" He looked out of the door briefly. "But I think we should find out what the others are going to do with us. I think we should find Rena, since we're both looking for Takeru. Mion and Shion can come with us, of course. I don't know what their parents are going to do, or Oryou for that matter…"

That was when the voice of Oryou broke through the room. "I will order the Sonozaki members to go fight the demons. I do not wish for very much death, but there will be more if we don't. It's better to sacrifice a few men to save more villagers." She focused her gaze on the twins' father. "You. You're going to help me with that. Akane, you go with them. They are going to find your son and I think that you will be able to talk sense into them, as you are his mother and you are part of the reason why he is doing this."

Guilt washed over Akane as Oryou mentioned that.

"Of course… but…" she turned to her husband. "Dear, please be careful. Those demons are vicious… and it appears as if we don't have any more demons."

Oryou nodded. "I never told you because you never needed to know. I killed them because I knew something like this would happen and if we didn't kill our demons, they could be taken and used in this way. Takeru could have gained access to more, so I am glad I did. I should have just told Kimiyoshi to kill his demons, too… these beasts are cursing the town." She looked at her granddaughters. "They were the only ones that I spared… and that was because of my own weakness. I didn't want to kill my own granddaughters.

Akane sighed. "I wish you would tell me this things, Mother. Even if I'm not the heiress anymore…"

The lack of demons made things more difficult. Though at least they had the members of the Sonozaki yakuza and the rest of the Furude demons fighting, which included Kaede, a great fighter who was truly skilled. Kai had also joined in, and he too was great at fighting. They would lose less people this way, even if that meant the death of many of the demons who defended the land and the people that lived in it.

"In any case, I think that we should get going," Keiichi spoke up. "We all know what we are doing. So let's go!"

A cheer coming from everyone followed this. With this, they could surely fix Onigafuchi…

**~~~~X~~~~**

The group of people, consisting of Keiichi, Satoshi, the twins, and Akane, were walking down the paths of Onigafuchi. Each and every one of them could hear the cries coming from the shrine and around it as demons fought, and as humans were killed. They were sure that the amount of dying humans had decreased when the Furude demons had arrived, but that didn't mean that it had stopped entirely and it certainly didn't mean that the amount of deaths were small. There would be a huge impact left from this fight, even if they were to stop it.

Keiichi clenched his fists. This was the adventure his parents had wanted to send him on. While it was much more than what he wanted, and he had been wishing it had never happened days ago, he found himself glad that he had come to the village. Sure, it was cursed, but how would things be without him? He had saved Shion and Mion, and without them, the village would never have their heroes.

He blinked at the two of them. What were they supposed to do? How were they heroes?

Well, he supposed they already were. Mion had killed Yasuo, and Shion had done a number of things to help out. Perhaps they weren't the only heroes in the legend. Maybe he was a hero too, and maybe Satoshi was as well. Maybe everyone in this tale was.

That was one of the ways that the legend was wrong again, he realized. There was not only the twins, but there was the twins' friend, who was the one who saved them both, the twins' other friend, who was the one that had saved one of them when she had been attacked, one of the twins' two good friends who had stayed with her when she was captured, their good friend who had met them by pure accident, but had grown as a hero by helping out the one who had saved them… there were many.

Yes, they were all heroes. The twins were just the center of it.

And now, that tale they were writing was coming to its climax.

"Keiichi-kun, Satoshi-kun! Mi-chan, Shi-chan!" a voice cried out, and the group of them instantly knew who it was.

"Rena!" cried Keiichi in delight as he saw the orange-haired girl run up to them. That had been easy, they didn't really need to look for her at all. "Rena!" A huge smile broke out across his face. He was glad to see that the girl who had been by his side since the moment she found out the truth was all right.

Rena smiled as she approached them. "Hello, everyone! I managed to find Takeru-kun when we split up. He told me everything."

Akane blinked at the sight of her son's ex-girlfriend. She wondered to herself if the girl had found out anything different about his motivation. Sure, they knew quite a bit about it already, but Rena would be the one who could truly reach out to the boy, the one who could find out what the real matter with him was. She was needed for this confrontation, and she could talk some more sense into him.

"What did he tell you?" Keiichi asked her.

"Well, there was a lot he told me and a lot that he didn't actually tell me, but in truth, I've known from the beginning. I just wanted to confirm a few things." She nodded, a serious look in her eyes as she stared at the group. "I don't know if you know this… but Takeru-kun has always wanted to be someone great, like a hero of some sort, though I did just find out that he was THE Hero… well, not any more, but." She shook her head. "But he felt like he couldn't be anyone because he knew that he would always be an existence that was insignificant to people close around him compared to Mi-chan and Shi-chan… who were apparently dead. But he knew they were alive, and was scared he would become a no one if people knew, so he prevented any chance Oryou got to save them." She looked down at her feet. "You know, he didn't actually tell me this, but I know him like the back of my hand. He leaned on me because he wanted someone he could love, someone that would love him, so that someone would believe that he was significant. So that's why."

They knew a lot about that all ready, but Rena had a deeper understanding of why he was doing this. She had spent so much time with him, after all, and she was the only one he would open up to. That gave him a lot more information.

Akane sighed. "I knew I was a bad mother to him, but there wasn't much I could do. If I didn't love him when he was born, then I didn't… but that changed." She looked up at the sky. "It is likely he didn't see that, though."

Rena looked at her. "Please don't blame yourself… no one could have stopped this from happening. He would have felt the same way even if you loved him when he was born when he found out about the twins…" she told her. "And there was no way that they could hide that from him. He was the heir and therefore had to know the demons…"

Rena was always the type of person who could cheer someone up by saying such things, and she was very intelligent when it came to understanding people. She really did know who Takeru was, even better than everyone else.

"He told us some of that," Keiichi informed Rena. "But that's a much deeper understanding…"  
>Mion and Shion were looking at each other, an uneasy look in their eyes as they stared at each other. They were clearly remembering some kind of unpleasant memory, probably relating to the topic at hand.<p>

"Rena, do you know where he is?" Satoshi asked.

Rena shook her head. "No, I came here because Satoshi-kun told me he would look here, and I wanted to confirm." She looked at Akane, and then to the twins. "But if you could fill Rena in on the details, it would be nice."

Keiichi nodded. "Walk with us."

The six of them then set off. Takeru probably had enough time to think over himself now, and a confrontation would be good at this time. If they could put a little more sense into his brain, then everything could be over and go back to how they were… mostly. He didn't know what would happen to Takeru now that the twins returned. Mion, being the oldest, was the rightful heiress. Sure, she hadn't been trained, but it was possible that she could overtake him as the heir, especially after this whole incident. It would not go unpunished. Even if he had brought himself back together, it would mean the death of hundreds that had already been lost and the ones to be lost in the minutes coming. He could be disinherited. Still, though, they could surely heal him.

"Their parents found out. Mion and I were confronting them, and then… well… Shion walked in, and the twins' father put the pieces together when he saw that they were identical twins. He apparently saw some of Akane in Mion when she was fighting," he explained to the girl. "Oryou explained everything, and Takeru, as you know, admitted to being the one who ordered the demons to kill everyone. He had apparently tricked them into believing that Kimiyoshi Masaru was the one who ordered the demons, but that was dropped. Takeru somehow knew Shion was coming and knew that the moment she walked in, everything he fought for would die." He paused. "He shot his mother, too."

Rena glanced to Akane, who only nodded. There were some bandages on her shoulder, but the wound didn't look severe in the slightest.

"Wow. How did everyone react?" Rena asked him.

"…Well, it was a huge shock for their parents, seeing as their son had just betrayed them and then they found out their twin daughters who they thought to be dead weren't actually dead, so there was a lot of shock in the room…" He sighed as he recalled how hard it had hit Akane. That, of course, was only to be expected. "The twins' father, though, managed to talk some sense into him. He punched him and told him a few things to thing about, so I think that with that, he should be able to think things over."

Rena nodded in agreement. "Me too. I broke up with him and told him that I would continue living with him as friends if we would drop this whole scheme, and I hope that put some sense into him. But seeing as he did that, I don't know. Maybe combined with that and what I told him, we can bring him back to normal." She looked up at the sky. "I want to bring him back to normal rather than kill him, Keiichi-kun. I want things to go back to normal, and I know there will be a huge impact, but I want to continue living and having fun with Takeru-kun, without the whole relationship thing." She sighed. "I didn't tell him I never loved him, though. That was too harsh and it was not the time to tell him. Really, I realized that I could never grow to love him, even if I tried. That's not what I want." She turned to Keiichi and smiled. "And it's because of you, Keiichi-kun. Thank you."

Keiichi smiled at the girl. "I'm glad that you managed to figure that out. Rena, I'm really glad…" Everything was coming together now. Rena had accepted the truth, and things could go on just as she wanted now. When everything was back to normal, they could go on living as friends, just as she wanted from the beginning. Takeru would be heartbroken, sure, but there are other girls in the world. He could find another one. Though he doubted it after this whole incident.

He sighed. Takeru didn't have to do this. As his father had said, it would have been fine if he didn't and just brought the twins out. He wouldn't have been in danger of losing his position as heir as he had been trained and done nothing wrong to be disinherited, his parents wouldn't go against him or hate him, he would be able to find love with someone… really, the only thing Takeru had done with this whole plan was mess his whole life up for himself.

"Thank you for being my best friend, Keiichi-kun. When this is all over, how about we go back to being like before? I'm sure Mi-chan and Shi-chan won't need help with the things I helped them with before, but I want to continue being their friend. I want to be Takeru-kun's friend, too. We can all become friends. We will introduce Mi-chan and Shi-chan to everyone and then we can all have fun." She smiled at the thought. "So let's work hard for this ending, Keiichi-kun. Promise?"

Keiichi smiled at the girl. "Promise."

Rena giggled. "All right then, but you can't go back on your word, Keiichi-kun! You have to fight your hardest now so that we can go back to normal!" she said.

Keiichi laughed as well. "Of course! And you can't go back either, Rena!"

Rena nodded. "Of course I won't! Rena sticks to her word."

Yes, together, all of them could certainly achieve the happiness they wanted. They could all become friends, and each and every one of them could play together happily. Even if Takeru would suffer major side effects, they could bring him back to normal and let him slowly accept the twins and who they were. He was not a bad person. He was just upset over this whole incident. He didn't care what the legend said about him being the villain or any of that, that wasn't true. They had lied about the twins being the only hero, after all. The whole legend was just downright false.

There was no villain. Just a confused, sorrowful young boy who didn't know what he was doing.

The six of them approached the shrine, and they stopped to take a look at what was going on when they stood on the part of the shrine that was overlooking the battlefield. There were fewer and fewer people around the shrine now, most of them having run away and many of them having been killed. The ground was painted with blood and corpses, each one of them horribly mutilated. Some of them were missing stomachs, some of them missing limbs, and some of them eyes. There were many who had scars all over their body, and many with broken necks. It was a horrible sight. Not only were there human corpses, but there were demon corpses as well.

They gazed upon the demon corpses, and Keiichi took note of how many there were. There were many of them, though there seemed to be an equal amount of dead Furude demons and dead Kimiyoshi demons, which meant that Kimiyoshi had lost more demons that the Furudes had as they had more in the first place. That was to be expected, though. They had Kai and Kaede on their side.

Speaking of Kai and Kaede, the two of them were now fighting off Kimiyoshi demons who were aimlessly attacking, allowing a few villagers to get away. However, some of those villagers who tried to sneak out were then attacked by Kimiyoshi demons who were still living, then being attacked by Furude demons and getting engaged in battle.

The whole sight was just terrifying.

"We won't accomplish anything by looking," Rena informed them all. "It's a sad sight, but we have to move."

They had to listen to her. There was nothing they could do by looking. They had to move.

"Hey, Sis? Do you see Takeru?" Shion asked as she looked about.

"No, Sis. I don't think that he's here…" Mion responded.

They were right. There was no sign of the green-haired boy. They continued to look a little more, but Rena shot Keiichi a grave look, silently telling them that Takeru probably wasn't anywhere in sight and it was likely that he was hiding elsewhere. They just needed to move on.

That's when Kaede looked up briefly and saw them. She turned towards Kai and nodded, then running from battle. She ran up the stairs and towards the group of them, her lemon-lime eyes narrowed and serious like usual.

"My master has told you that she and Satoko have set up several traps around the area and forest, and that they are keeping the villagers safe by transporting them to their house. The doctor, Irie, has come with her to the house and is healing anyone who got hurt too badly," she informed the group of them. "That being said, I am sure that you are looking for Sonozaki Takeru."

They looked at each other. It was sudden that she came up and told them this, but it was useful. Satoko and Rika had been doing their job.

"We are, actually," Rena spoke.

Kaede nodded. "As I thought. I saw the boy scurry that way." She pointed a bloody claw towards the path leading into the forest. "He is hiding. I was going to fight him but I didn't have the order to attack him, just the demons. I did not wish to do anything that would make my master possibly angry. Besides, I have a bunch of work to do." She looked at the battle.

They looked at each other, grins on their faces. This was very useful.

"Thank you, Kaede!" cried Keiichi.

"No problem. Now, I have to go. Excuse me…" With that, the demon jumped right back into the battle below, her feet trampling over several corpses as she lunged for a Kimiyoshi demon who had began to attack one of the Furude demons.

They turned to each other and then nodded, heading off in the direction that they had been pointed to. Now, they knew exactly where to go.

"There are some paths in the forest, so I think Takeru-kun followed one of them and is going there. He probably wants a place where there is no one else there to bother him," Rena decided as she went down the side steps and onto the pathway once again. "He is probably working out what his father told him and what I had said to him before, about becoming friends again if he is going to stop this. I hope that he does."

Keiichi could see a clear longing in Rena's eyes, a longing to once again be with the boy like friends. That wasn't just it, though. She wanted to be with everyone again, and she wanted all of this to just go away. She was wishing that this whole thing had never happened.

"We should talk some more sense into him and see if that helps," Satoshi suggested. "It should…"

Mion and Shion looked at each other. "Should we, too? I think we need to apologize for a few things," Shion asked as she looked at the others. Even if Takeru hated the two of them, they could surely find a way to apologize for all they did to get him to accept them. That was the first step towards bringing everything back to normal, to how they used to be before this whole thing happened.

"We need all the help we can get," Akane spoke as she looked towards her daughters. "But I think I have the most to apologize to him about. You two didn't do anything besides exist…" There was sorrow in her eyes as she gazed upon her daughters. She had mixed thoughts in her head, about her children. She was thinking about how Takeru had betrayed her, and how happy she had been to see her two children again. It killed her on the inside to know that she was a cause of this, but it also hurt her to know that her daughters had been neglected because of him.

"We all need to," Rena decided. "But we don't have much time. Let's run…"

They all decided to do just this. They had only been walking before, though rather swiftly. If they were to save more lives, then they had to go fast. They all broke out into a run as they came closer to the forest path, to where Takeru was hiding.

As they did so, Keiichi noticed something very odd. In some of the trees there were nets that were containing demons who had been trapped inside of them, trying to escape. It looked like they had ropes bound around their arms, though, and they couldn't use their claws to scratch them open or anything like that.

"Hey, Number Forty? Do you think we can open the net if we bite it?" a demon in a net suggested.

"I tried that, Number Thirty-Nine!" she barked at the other demon. "It's useless. Just stay here for now. There's nothing you can do."

He grinned as he saw this sight. Satoko had really outdone herself with this. None of the demons could break free of the nets, and were caught in there for the rest of the battle. They were rendered completely useless. _That's our Satoko! She's grown up from pouring buckets of water on top of my head and tripping people with ropes. She's managed to stop demons right in their tracks! _Things really were going their way, all they needed to do now was to stop Takeru, which was exactly what was about to happen.

They ran down the paths of the forest. There were only two demons caught in nets there, but it was unlikely that they were really going to travel into the forest, anyway. Satoko had done the best she could possibly do and it was more than enough for this. She was really bright.

"You see, Satoshi?" cried Keiichi as he ran forward. "Nothing to worry about! Your little sister is great!"

Satoshi nodded, a smile on his face. He no longer looked worried about his little sister anymore. He had come to accept that she was a strong person, and that she didn't need to be watched over and treated like a little girl anymore. She had grown up and beyond that. "Yeah!" he called out.

He grinned at him. People had really changed over this battle.

The six of them came to a halt as the trees grew, and so did the sight of the rocky side of a cliff, creating a U shape. Sitting right there, in front of the cliff side, was Takeru, who was hugging his knees and looking at the ground below him with wide, terrified eyes as he thought about what he had done. There was a single gun at his side, probably the one that he had used on Akane before, though his hand was not touching it and he wasn't even giving it a single glance.

"Takeru-kun!" cried Rena as she ran up to the boy, stopping right in front of him as his head slowly titled upwards. His eyes grew even wider at the site of the girl, fear painting his vision. "Takeru-kun!"

"R-R-R…" He couldn't even get the name out.

The others followed, stopping right in front of them as they looked at the state he was in. He looked _awful_. There were tears painting his face, and a look of trauma was plastered across it.

He fixed his eyes on the twins, and he looked even more scared at that moment.

"NOT YOU TWO!" he yelled out. "I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! I TOLD YOU THAT I DON'T CARE ANYMORE AND THAT IT'S ALL USELESS! I DON'T CARE IF MOM KNOWS WHO YOU ARE!" He was practically screaming at the top of his lungs. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

Rena sighed as she walked up to the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Takeru. We came here to tell you to change your mind about this whole situation. Tell the demons to stop the killing," she told him gently.

He eyed her, his eyes wide. "I CAN'T! IT HAS TO KEEP GOING! _I NEED TO BECOME SOMEONE!"_

Rena sighed. It became apparent that he had thought about it, but his mind was rejecting every single thing he tried to feed it. He couldn't give up on this plan after thinking about it for such a long time, was what his mind was telling him. Perhaps he wanted to go back to normal, and perhaps he had already given up. His mind and body just wouldn't allow himself to accept that fact.

"You won't become anyone if you don't give up. Listen, if you stop here, then we can go back to being like normal." There was a gentle smile on her face as she said that. "Okay?"

There was a calm look in his eyes as he thought over this. Everyone eyed him as he took deep breaths, thinking deeply about the whole situation. Could things really go back to normal if he were to stop them here? He thought about this for a long time, though his eyes were still widened.

"Sound good to you, Takeru?" Rena spoke.

Takeru breathed more and he thought hard, trying to force this idea into his brain.

But it looked as if his mind had rejected it again. "NO! I CAN'T GIVE UP!" he yelled out. "I NEED TO BE SOMEONE, JUST LIKE I ALWAYS WANTED!" His eyes returned to being full of trauma, and they were definitely not calm anymore. "RENA, YOU KNOW THAT BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE!"

Keiichi stepped forward. "Takeru, have you thought about what Rena said and what your father said?" he said to him calmly. "Things can go back to normal!"

Takeru nodded. "Yes… but… it… is too late. I… will be hated. I messed things up for myself like my dad said… but… as I said before… too late… and there is only one chance I have now…" he spoke, his voice slow and shaky. He was pausing his words between breaths. "I HAVE TO KEEP GOING!" he barked out. "I THOUGHT ABOUT IT, AND IT IS THE ONLY CHANCE I HAVE LEFT! If I go back, I will be disinherited and will be erased by history! I can still become someone if I destroy things like I wanted!" He focused on the twins. "If only the two of you had just died when you were born. Yes… then everything would have been wonderful." He sighed. "I would be heir and Mother would have never hated me. I would be known by all the village as someone great and I wouldn't have had to do this. I would be everyone's friend and we could live together, happily…" He focused on the twins. "But you two… _FUCKED EVERYTHING UP. JUST GO DIE!"_

Rena placed another hand on his shoulder, causing his attention to go to her. She slowly shook her head at him.

"Listen, Takeru. That's what you want. You want a world where everyone could live together, don't you?" she told him very gently, kindly. "That's what you are wishing for in truth. You want to be someone in history, but you also want to be someone to everyone else, which is why you want this two dead so that you can be someone to your mother." He looked horrified when she said this. "But you know what? Everything can be like that."

He shook his head. _"No they can't…"_

Rena nodded vigorously. "Yes they can! Takeru, if you end this, then we can all go back to living together like normal. Mi-chan and Shi-chan will be there, but… you know, your mother loves you, and your father will accept you when you accept that this is wrong. When you go back to normal, the village can accept you, too! You can still become the head of the Sonozaki family and erase this from history completely!" She smiled at him encouragingly. "Everything will be like normal, but with the twins. They will be our friends too. Everything will be wonderful. So please…"

No one said a word. Mion, Shion, Akane, Satoshi, and Keiichi were all looking to Rena. If she could get him working, then they could apologize and get things back to normal.

Takeru was trembling as he focused his gaze on the girl, and his eyes were wide. "So…" he said, shakily. "Does that mean you'll be my girlfriend again?"

These words instantly caused Rena to frown, and that was when everyone realized what was truly on his mind when he said he wanted things back to normal. The friendship thing was still important, but when he spoke those words, he was thinking about his relationship with Rena. He wanted to be her boyfriend again and spend a loving life with her, but she had already accepted that something like that wasn't possible.

They all wanted things to go back to normal, but there was one huge difference. Rena wanted to be his friend, but Takeru wanted her to be his girlfriend.

Rena could only sigh. "Takeru, I don't want that," she admitted. "I want us all to be friends again, and I don't want to have any more of that relationship. I never… never really wanted it." She was shaky as she spoke those words, as she knew it hurt him.

Takeru's eyes grew wide, and it seemed as if the calmness that he had built up over the last minute or so slipped. "W-What…?"

"But you know what? You can find another girl! Listen, I know there's a bunch of pretty girls in Okinomiya, ones prettier than me!" She smiled. "I just want to be friends, Takeru! I want us all to be friends! So that's why… that's why I believe in you, and that's why I believe that we can all go back to normal if you just take my hand." She stuck a hand out for him, offering it to him. "Even if we aren't lovers, we can still be friends and everything will be okay! It'll be just like normal!" She took a deep breath, giving in a look with confidence in it and a smile to reassure him. "Believe in me, Takeru!"

Not even a second after she had spoken those words, a loud noise rang out. Everyone's heart stopped as they heard that noise, and the next thing anyone knew, Rena was falling backwards onto the ground, which was then followed by a hollow thud. There was blood pouring out from her chest, which was now staining the ground. They all looked to Takeru, who was now holding the gun that was beside him before, the same look of trauma on his face as he had had when they had first saw him.

Keiichi, Satoshi, and Akane slowly turned towards the girl, and Mion and Shion ran towards her right away. They knelt on the ground as Mion reached for Rena, grabbing her wrist.

Slowly, she looked up at Keiichi, tears in her eyes.

"She's dead, Kei-chan…" she whispered. "Rena's dead…"

Keiichi felt shock rise up within him, and a pain like never before. Tears streamed down his face as he felt the news sink in. Rena had been his partner beside him all this time. She had been accepting of him when she ran into the twins, and she had believed in him when he had explained to her about the true nature of demons. They had worked so hard to crack the mysteries of Onigafuchi, like The Legend of Makoto and Koichi and getting about half of The Legend of the Hero. She had always understood of everyone, and even in her last moments, she had tried to convince him to go back to normal. She saw the good in him until the end.

But what really killed him on the inside was when he remembered their conversation earlier.

He had promised her that they would go back to normal, and that he would fight for that.

He had broken that promise, and with that, their dream of everything going back to normal shattered into millions of pieces, never to be able to put back together again. They could never return to being normal, nothing would be the same. There would be no Rena to shout out that she was taking someone home and twirl them around, causing great laughter in the air, and there would be no one who could truly understand the depth of someone around her, no one who could be kind no matter what the case was. This was the kind of person she was. There would be a giant hole without her, a hole that could not be filled no matter how hard anyone tried.

"You…" he hissed as he turned towards Takeru, anger in his eyes. "You idiot! Didn't you hear anything that she was trying to say? !" he demanded. "She was trying to help you, she was offering what you wanted! But you fucking shot her and now she's _dead. Dead,_ Takeru, _Rena is DEAD!_" he screamed out at him; rage burning within every fiber of his body. "Now no one is going to have a happy ending, and it's all because of you, Takeru! _YOU_!"

Takeru's eyes went wide and he backed up into the wall of the cliff as he looked at the dead body of Rena. The rest of the group was tending to her, checking to make sure she was really gone. None of them could accept it. "NO!" he screamed out, dropping the gun instantly as he stared at his ex-girlfriend, the girl who he had loved with all his heart. "No… I didn't…"

"You fucking did, Takeru!" screamed Keiichi.

"I… I…" he stared at Rena once again, and at her face which was eternally painted with a look of shock on it. That was exactly what caused him to break and shatter, possibly never to be fixed again either. "I loved Rena…"

"And you killed her. Good job," growled Keiichi.

"I… didn't mean to… I DIDN'T WANT TO!" he yelled out. He clutched his head, his eyes growing wider than ever. "I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO…" he repeated this over and over an over again at the top of his lungs.

"THEN WHY DID YOU?" questioned Keiichi.

Takeru stopped repeated that, and then looked from the tearful group to Keiichi, and then back at Rena's dead body. His whole body trembled. "I DON'T KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"

This scream echoed throughout the whole forest. It was clear that the boy wasn't thinking, and he hadn't been when he shot the girl he loved right in the heart. He had been enraged by the mention of her not being his girlfriend and lying to him, and this set of a chain of reactions.

There were more salty tears hitting the ground as he stared at it. "No… No… I didn't want this… I just want this to end… TELL ME THIS IS A NIGHTMARE, PLEASE!" he begged.

Keiichi shook his head. "It's reality! Rena's freaking dead, accept it!" he yelled out. "And accept that it's all your fault!"

Takeru looked over at everyone, shaking. He didn't say anything for a few moments as he watched Mion lean over and shut Rena's eyes, hiding the look of shock on her face. He slowly nodded as he looked down at the ground. "I-IT'S MY FAULT!" he yelled out to the world. "I KILLED HER AND IT'S MY FAULT!"

Keiichi nodded with this, clenching his teeth as more tears ran down his face. "Now tell me what you really wanted!" he yelled out to him. "And be truthful!"

He seemed to calm down just a tad, enough for his volume to lower quite a bit. "I… wanted… to be happy. I wanted exactly what you were saying… But I wanted to be with Rena…"

"And now you can't," finished Keiichi. "You see what Rena was trying to tell you? She understands you. And she knew what you wanted. You shouldn't have killed her."

"I shouldn't have…" Takeru refused to take his forest green eyes off of the floor as he admitted to everything. It was only now that he was realizing what he wanted, when it was already too late to fix anything. He sobbed as he buried his head into his knees, hugging them tightly as he did so. "Rena…"

Everyone stood up to look at the poor boy, their eyes wide.

"Takeru…" Akane whispered.

"Will you all listen to me?" Takeru requested through his tears.

Keiichi blinked at him. "Why?"

"…Will you listen to my tale, and why I did everything?"

They all looked over to each other. Mion and Shion's tearful gaze met Keiichi's, and then they looked to each other. They already knew, for the most part, but it would be good to hear it from Takeru, they supposed.

And with that, they nodded.

"Good. Just listen… and… understand… me…"

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner v.2**

**Rena… oh Rena. So you all probably know that I don't care too much for her and that she is my least favorite of the main Higurashi characters… but… that was because I didn't get her character. I didn't see the depth. With this fic, I think I've grown to understand her a little more. While I don't think she'll be moving up too much on my list of favorite Higurashi characters, I think I finally get her as a character and I can appreciate her a little more now. And with that, I want you to know I didn't kill her off because she is my least favorite, or used to be, on my list. I was debating on whether or not to do it because of who she was in this fic, and I decided that with this fic, I could not have a completely happy ending. Someone, a main character, needed to die. And Rena was most fitting for this role. So with that, I am sorry to everyone. I liked her a lot too but in the end, it couldn't be helped. There was no way around this.**

**R.I.P**

**Speaking of her as a character, I hope to go back and rewatch Tsumiboroshi-hen to get her a little more. In truth, I don't like Tsumiboroshi-hen too much, either. The anime didn't do it very well and I couldn't really get it and just wasn't interested in it in the slightest. But maybe as the new volumes can come out, I can read it and enjoy it more. I read the first two volumes and I like it so far, so I will have to wait for the next two. It will be complete in… four months. Also, I want to bring something up. Is it just me, or was Rena not really a focus in Higurashi Kira? Okay, so each character (or two) got their own "episode" sort of and their own ending theme and cover for that episode. Rena got stuck with the first arc, but she was featured equally in that arc as anyone else was. Satoko and Rika got featured a lot in two, Mion and Shion in three, and Hanyuu in four. But Rena… not in one. She was supposed to be a big part of the plot in number three, but in the end, all she really got was a short scene of her in the bathtub and the twins took up all the other time. She was definitely the least used main character of the bunch. Do you understand what I'm saying or is it just me?**

**It is 3:00 and I have to go. I was hoping to watch Mirai Nikki but I have to edit this and upload it. I'll watch it tomorrow. **

**~Crimso**


	38. Chapter 37: Corruption

**Crimso's Notes:  
>You know, there are days where I have a ton of things to say here, and there are days where there is nothing to say at all. This would be one of the days where there just isn't anything for me to say right here, other than it is still Winter Break. New Year's is coming up soon and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. 2012 should be an interesting year.<strong>

**Note one: Okay, so this chapter is going to take place throughout MANY years of Takeru's life, so I will mention what year it is and how old he is at the beginning of each scenario in italics. When there is no date at the beginning, that means that it occurred in the same year as the last one. This is all flashback, and because of that, the flashbacks will not be in italics like they usually are. No one wants to read a chapter fully in italics. It would be like me writing the whole Makoto legend in all italics. **

**Note Two: 3****rd**** to last chapter. I can't believe it.**

**Note Three: Takeru, in 1983, is fifteen in case you do not remember.**

**Note Four: I hope I didn't get the years wrong.**

**Note Five: These scenes are snippets of his memories, so they may occur in the beginning of a scene, in the middle… etc. It may feel as if you are hopping into a scene that has already started.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Corruption**

_1973, age five._

In the middle of a room, mostly empty, sat a young Takeru, the age of five. He was wearing a rather traditional and expensive looking kimono as he looked up at his Grandmother, the only other person in the room. She had a serious look in her eyes, but then again, when did she not have a serious look? Every time the boy would look at his grandmother, he would find not one bit of comfort in her eyes, they seemed cold and dark. However, what she could act like sometimes was a completely different matter.

She had brought him into her room for a lecture on who he was to become later in the future, when he was big and all grown up. He had heard stories about what he would have to do, and had a very good idea about who he would become. However, his grandmother would constantly have to remind him of this, for some reason Takeru couldn't figure out.

"So, Child, do you understand who you are?" Oryou spoke to the boy.

"Y-Yes, Grandmother…"

She eyed him. "I do not think that you truly understand, Takeru," she grumbled. She turned towards the window, looking out of it. "Come here, Takeru."

Takeru was about to ask why, but he realized that he shouldn't be asking questions towards his grandmother, for she was the one in charge. He nodded and did not hesitate as he advanced towards the window. He stood on his tip-toes as he tried to stare out of the window, only catching a small glimpse of what was outside.

Oryou sighed as she noticed this, but did nothing to fix the problem. "Listen, boy. Outside the window is our village, Onigafuchi. It may not be too populated, but as you can see, it is large for how many people live in it and contains a whole bunch of look. Every single acre of land out there that is called Onigafuchi will belong to you one day, and you will have to control it." She paused as she turned to look towards the struggling boy, who then stopped when he saw her gaze on him. "You will have to become a great head, Takeru. Every one will be looking up to you to make the right choices and you will have to do so. As a Sonozaki, you cannot seem weak."

Takeru nodded in response to her words, not even questioning them. "Yes…"

"Even if that means concealing who you truly are, Takeru, you have to become a true Sonozaki Head, one that rules his people rightly and one that is great. You have to be someone respected, someone who makes people fear to disrespect you." She looked back out the window, at the land before them. "That is what a Sonozaki head is, Takeru, and you will be no exception."

Takeru could only nod his head. At times, he could be a little too scared to say anything back to his grandmother. She could be scary to a boy his age.

"But that is not the only weight on your shoulders, not the only weight by far," she spoke, turning to look at him. "Takeru, please sit down. I have something to discuss with you."

Takeru look up at his grandmother in confusion, wondering what it could be. Her voice seemed serious to him, even more serious than usual. That thought scared him. He didn't like it when people were serious. Wondering what it could be, the boy took a seat on the floor once again, bringing himself away from the window showing off what land would become his in several years.

Oryou sat down as well, right in front of the boy, and as she did so, her stern expression did not change.

"Takeru, I'm sure that you have heard of The Legend of the Hero," she spoke to the boy.

The young boy thought about that for a little bit. The Legend of the Hero… where had he heard that from before? After giving it a bit of thought, he recalled his mother mentioning it to him, though the context in which she mentioned it he wasn't quite sure of. He was sure it involved the incident his mother kept talking about whenever he wasn't around, but that aside… The Legend of the Hero was a legend about a hero who would save Onigafuchi from danger one day, a hero that was very great and strong. He nodded upon recalling most of it.

"Good. Then you know that in the legend, there is a great hero that will arise and save Onigafuchi from danger of destruction, a powerful hero who will be forever remembered," she said.

Takeru just nodded along with every word.

"You're old enough to know now, Takeru. The Hero would be born when a certain number of children are born in one of the Three Great Families, and you are that number child for the Sonozaki family. The Kimiyoshi family and Furude family have yet to reach it," she explained to the boy.

He blinked in confusion. "H-Huh?"

"You're the Hero, Takeru."

This was a little much for the boy to take in. All he had heard about the Hero were great things, how powerful he would be and how great he would be. Does that mean that he was powerful and great? And did that mean he would save Onigafuchi? His eyes grew wide at such a thought, and he could feel his heart race increase. He was not sure what to think about it, and wasn't sure if his heart was racing from fear or excitement.

"I know, that's quite a bit for you to take in." She sighed. "One day, Takeru, you're going to become someone great and take down the enemy, saving the village. For that reason, Takeru, I want you to understand more what responsibility rests on your shoulders, for what you are you are going to become."

He looked back out the window. That was going to become his, he would have to rule over it, and he would have to save it. That was a lot. But it kind of reminded him of those stories he sometimes heard about great heroes, so for a little boy like him, the idea made him excited. While he had previously been a little worried and scared, when he thought about it more, the opinion he had changed very quickly.

"So, what do I have to do?" he asked excitedly. "Does this mean I'm gonna be trained?"

Oryou nodded. "We're going to teach you how to fight when you're a little older, but for now, I am going to stick to teaching you what it is like to be the head." She shot him another look, narrowing her already stern eyes to make them a little more serious. "As long as for now you understand what lies on your shoulders, I am fine. We will continue this session later. You may go."

Takeru nodded and left, feeling a little excited about the whole situation. Was he going to be one of those awesome heroes he had heard about before? Well, yes he would. The Hero was called the Hero for a reason. He was a great, strong, powerful hero. These thoughts made him smile as he walked down the hallway, back to his own room.

However, as he was walking, a door opened, revealing the figure of his mother. He turned around to look at her, a huge smile on his face.

"Mom!" he cried out to her. "Guess what Grandma just told me!"

Akane blinked at her son, a smile growing across her face. "Hm, what did she tell you?" she asked him.

"She told me that I'm the Hero!" he bellowed out, throwing his hands up in the air for emphasis. His mother didn't seem to be surprised, however, though he took no notice of that and continued onwards. "I'm going to save Onigafuchi one day, Mom! Just like the Heroes in the stories! I am going to become very powerful and strong and everyone will look up to me become I'm a Hero!" he cried out, excited about the whole matter.

His mother advanced towards him, then patting him on the head with a smile on her face. "Oh, that's wonderful, sweetie. I'm glad you finally found out. You'll make a good hero."

But as Takeru looked up at his mother, there was something strange about it. She seemed uneasy, uneasy enough for a young boy like himself to tell that there was something funny with her smile. It looked kind of fake.

But he ignored that and continued on. "Mom, who is the bad guy I'm going to have to beat? I think that you told me once but I forgot," he asked.

"The twins," she answered, her voice shaky as she spoke those two words for some odd reason. "They're your enemy."

He grinned. "Those stupid twins won't stand a chance against the great hero Takeru!" he called out, raising a fist into the air and doing a fake punch. "WHAM! I'm the Hero!"

Akane faked a giggle. "You show them," she told him gently before walking off.

As Takeru watched her leave, he noted that she didn't seem very enthusiastic about the whole situation. Usually she would act very shocked or happy whenever he told her sometime good that had happened to him or something exciting, but she didn't have that kind of reaction. He stared at her as she walked by, wondering why she had that kind of reaction. And when she did, it seemed a little funny; a little different from the other reactions.

He blinked and wondered what that was all about.

**~~~~X~~~~**

_1974, age six_

Training continued onwards for the next year, with Oryou educating him about what he needed to do to become the perfect leader and hero. Despite being at a young age, he was taking this in quite well. In his mind, he knew that he had to become someone great, that he would be the best Hero and leader the whole village of Onigafuchi would ever have. She would tell him how to do many things, like how to control someone or how to act properly in front of someone. The training for combat had not begun, but she didn't plan to give him that for a while.

Recently, though, she had been talking about another subject, something that he found rather interesting.

Demons.

He knew well about the demons that lived in the village and how they owned some and controlled them, but learning about their behavior was interesting. They used to be evil creatures under the rule of the evil Demon King, Makoto, until a brave man named Koichi killed him and forced the demons to obey humans. Since then, all demons obeyed humans no matter what the order was. He could tell a demon to clean his room and they would, something he enjoyed, simply because the boy hated cleaning his room. They also didn't have human emotions, so they would not be happy or sad or anything similar to that.

He had not seen a demon before, but when he asked his Grandmother if he could go down and take a look, she would always say that he was too young.

He didn't understand why, though. He was six! He was old enough to look at demons! He was big now, after all. A demon could not scare him.

Grumbling as he walked back from his grandmother's room after another attempt at convincing her, he muttered things to himself about how the hero should be able to see demons from a young age so that he could take them down. The twins, the bad guys of the tale, would probably have demons or be demons. He would have to understand that to take down the twins, and learning now would be good so that he could become even stronger when he was older.

That's when his ear picked up something, a word. It was a word he had been thinking about just then when he heard it.

_Twins._

He turned towards the closed door, wondering what the conversation in there was about. Did it have to do with who the twins were and how he could take them down or anything similar? No matter what the case was, it had to relate to The Legend of the Hero, so he listened closely.

"…I know the whole legend is upsetting, Akane… but I think we need to accept it," he heard his father speak.

_So it is about the legend!_ He had to listen more closely now, he decided. He was the Hero, after all.

"I don't want to, though. Why is it that this cursed legend is hurting our children?" said his mother's shaky voice.

_Huh?_ What did she mean by "her children?" They only had him!

"I don't like it at all, either. But we have to accept what's happened and move on. We have Takeru now, so you don't need to remember them," his father's voice reminded his mother.

"But it's not the same! I don't care about that! I just wish my little ones had never been killed, then there would be no need for all this silly hero business," she spoke out.

Takeru, at this point, was very confused by what they were talking about. It had to do with the hero and… their… children? He could hear his mother crying on the inside of the door, and that was the fact that was scaring him. He had never heard his mother crying before.

"I know what you want, Akane…" said his father's voice. He sighed. "You just wish you had the twins back."

_The Twins…!_ An alarm went off in his head as they mentioned his enemy, and he gritted his teeth. Did they appear to them? He would crush them if they did! But something was odd about that, he was saying that she wished that she had the evil twins back. Why would she wish for such a thing? The twins were evil, so they should not come back, unless it was for him to defeat them and prove himself a hero.

There was more sobbing. "I do, dear, I do. I wish I had them here with me…"

"Instead of Takeru, huh?"

He blinked. His name had been mentioned.

"Yes. Instead of _that boy_…"

He could feel his heart race in his chest, along with confusion and all similar emotions that went along with it. What in the world were they talking about? ! They were mentioning twins, and how they wanted them instead of him? Why would they want two, evil people instead of him, the great hero? And why were his loving parents SAYING these things in the first place? ! He also didn't like how his mother placed emphasis on "that boy." It sounded mean and he didn't like it.

"I just want them back. I know it's been eight years since they died, but I want my twins back. I wish I could have just kept them. Then she forced me to have another child, a child I don't even want! That stupid Legend of the Hero… I hate it." This time, her voice seemed to be a little bitter and harsh, tainted by the fact that she _was_ still crying.

"Don't say that. Takeru didn't do anything wrong."

"Except exist. I'd trade him for the twins in a heartbeat. I'd do _anything_ to get my beautiful twins back. I… hate the legend. And… I _hate_ that Takeru…"

Something went off in his head that told him to back away quickly and _run_ back to his room, so he did. Thoughts swirled in his head as he ran back, and he realized that he had done a bad thing by listening into what they were talking about. No boy his age should have ever heard that from his parents. His mother had just said that she hated him, and that she would do anything to get the twins back, who were evil. And since she had mentioned children…

Were the twins her children? His siblings?

He froze.

This was just too much for a boy his age.

He ran into his room, throwing himself down onto the futon and burying his face in his hands.

His mother had just said that she didn't love him, and that she would trade him for the twins in a heartbeat, who were supposedly his other siblings. This very thought made his heart crash and sink, and it killed him on the inside. He finally understood why his mother had seemed uncomfortable when talking about the legend to him last year, and how she had seemed to fake her smile, acting with fake emotions and pretending to be happy for him.

But wasn't that how she had always acted?

He thought about it. Now knowing the truth, he realized that that was indeed the case. His mother had always acted that way in front of him, having been hiding something.

_She… doesn't love me._

That thought kept echoing in the boy's head, and would not leave.

So, until it did, he sat there and cried.

**~~~~X~~~~**

_1975, age seven_

After the situation had happened, the boy had actually asked Oryou about the twins, and if she knew anything about them.

This was the response he had gotten:

_"I do know about the twins, Takeru. It's about time I told you about what happened before you, about the children that came before you. Before you were born, two years before, actually, your mother gave birth to a pair of twins. However, seeing as they may be a threat and the villains that would bring destruction to Onigafuchi, I took them away from her before she could see them and murdered them both, just minutes after they had been born. This may seem cruel, but it was for the best. Now, your mother has not gotten over this and is heartbroken over the whole incident. She still may say that she misses them, but I want you to remember one thing. They are dead. They will never come back. She will outgrow them in time, and you will have nothing to worry about. So forget if she's been acting odd towards you, she will soon forget about this and love you more than she ever loved those twins as time passes."_

He had kept these thoughts in mind for the last year, and he had decided that there was no trouble in waiting. Those evil twins would be forgotten about soon. They were dead, after all.

But one day, Oryou had finally complied with his request to go and see the demons. When she did, though, she seemed very solemn for some strange reason.

"I think you're old enough to know now," she said as they walked down the steps leading to the main room in which the demons were contained. He was looking at the wooden door that was blocking his view from the demons curiously, wondering what could be on the other side. He wasn't really paying too much attention to what his grandmother was saying because his head was full of curiosity.

"Takeru, when I show you this, you have to promise to tell absolutely no one. _No one._"

He wasn't sure why she was being so strict about it, but he nodded his head.

Oryou eventually pulled open the wooden doors blocking their view, and as soon as she did, the boy excitedly stepped inside and took a look around.

The whole place had brown walls and a gray floor, and there wasn't very much color in sight. There was one main cell sitting there in the front, and that cell was positioned in front of a wall that went down the middle of the room, separating the place into two aisles. On the opposite side of the wall on both sides were endless rows of cells, cells that contained demons of all kinds. Some cells within the wall separating the two sections became visible further down the aisle. He blinked curiously as he looked at the demon in the main cell, a demon with black hair and large white horns.

"Master!" he cried out.

"Hello, Kenji," spoke Oryou as she walked up to the demon. "I am here to show my grandson around the place and teach him a little more about demons."

The demon, apparently named Kenji, looked at the boy and nodded his head. "He looks like he'll be a good head someday," he commented.

"Yes, and you will obey him," grumbled Oryou.

"Without question," Kenji added.

"Yes, good to know that you still follow orders after all these years…"

Takeru looked at the demon, confused. His big, green eyes were blinking at him as he observed the demon very closely. He looked like a completely normal human, aside from the horns on his head. He looked down at his neck and saw a collar around his neck, one that was made of strong metal and was lined with spikes that did not look like they were sharp at all. In the front there was an engraving of his name, Kenji.

"Takeru, this is my head demon, Kenji. He is the strongest of all demons and he is in charge of the other demons, though under us when it comes to orders. You will control him some day along with the rest of these demons," the old woman explained.

His eyes went wide. "Whoa…" he whispered as he stared at the demon before him. He was so cool and he looked so strong, and he would be under his control when he grew up. Suddenly, he couldn't wait until he was older.

"Moving on," Oryou spoke.

The two of them took the left aisle and began to walk down the path, looking at the demons that were trapped in the cells. There were all different kinds of demons. There were some with horns and some without horns. There were some that had sharper fangs and some that had rather small fangs. There were some that chose to keep their claws unsheathed and some that chose the opposite. On top of that, many of them had different hair colors and eye colors. It was very interesting to the boy.

One thing that did not change from demon to demon, though, was the fact that each one of them was wearing a spiky collar around their necks. What did change about that was the number that was written on their collar.

"Why are there numbers on their collars, Grandmother?" Takeru asked.

"I have explained to you. They do not have names, so they have numbers." She pointed to a demon in one of the cells. "He is Number Eighteen," she switched the direction her finger was pointing in to another demon. "And she is Number Nineteen. No demons deserve to have names unless they are the head demon, so Kenji is the only exception. Kai is a demon owned by the Kimiyoshis who has a name, and Kaede is the one who is owned by the Furudes."

"Oh…"

He did recall that fact, and he realized he was stupid for not remembering it. He had been listening to intently to the facts about demons, after all.

As they came to the end of the aisle, Oryou halted, and Takeru took this as a sign to do the same. He looked at his grandmother, wondering why she suddenly stopped like that.

"Takeru, allow me to correct what I said to you before," she spoke.

Takeru didn't say anything to that.

"You can tell people what you have seen up until this point," she said, "but you are not allowed to say a word about what you are about to see to anyone at all besides me and the servants who work down here. _Especially_ not your parents." She turned to him, a gaze sterner than ever before burning right into Takeru's green eyes. "Do you understand?"

All Takeru could do to that was nod. Her look was scaring him too much.

"Good," she breathed. "And don't be mad."

Those words caused his curiosity to grow to its highest level, but he still remained silent. The two of them exited the aisle, and the first thing that greeted Takeru was a single cell in the very back. It was completely away from all the rest of the cells of some strange reason, causing him to blink in confusion. Slowly, the boy walked up to the cell, wrapping his hands around the bars as he looked at what was inside of it.

Inside the cell were two, young girls with the same color green hair, both of them fast asleep. The two of them were cuddled up against each other, their arms wrapped around each other and one of the demon's heads placed near the crook of the other's neck as they slept peacefully. Because of this, their eye color could not be determined. But this did not stop Takeru from realizing what they were.

They were identical twins.

He turned to Oryou, his eyes wide.

"They're the twins!" he cried out. "They're the bad guys! What should I do? Should I kill them? !" he asked. He whipped his head back to the two demons, knowing that the two of them were evil beings that had to be destroyed. He was the Hero, after all. He wasn't too sure of what he should do, though. They had just appeared to him like this, and they certainly didn't look evil.

"No!" she hissed almost instantly, taking the boy aback. "Do not lay a hand on them!"

"I don't get it, though. They're the evil twins!" he cried out. "I'm the Hero! Shouldn't I take them down or something?"

She shook her head. "Child, you don't get it, do you?" she sighed.

"I don't get what?"

Oryou sighed once again. "It looks like I have to spell it out for you." She stepped closer to the cell, wrapping a hand around one of the bars of the cell. "Those two twins in there are your older sisters," he told him.

His eyes went wide and he whipped towards them. Now that she mentioned it, they did have a similar color hair as him, only lighter. He gasped as he realized what this meant. Oryou had not killed her granddaughters. The words that she had spoken were echoing in his head, the ones about the fact that they were dead meaning that his mother would move on and forget about them. If they were alive, then his mother would never move on!

"Your mother doesn't know. Don't tell her or your father, no matter what," she said, sternly. "But I am sure you weren't about to, judging by the look on your face right now.

Takeru did indeed look horrified at the very sight of them.

"Listen, your mother doesn't know. She will _never_ know. I will never show them to her. As such, she will forget that they existed mostly and move on. Every thing is going to be okay," she spoke.

She was right, Takeru realized. He had no reason to fear his mother finding out about the twins and losing his place in life. As long as she never saw them, they didn't need to worry, and he could continue onwards in life. With this in mind, he set his goal in mind. He would never ever speak about this to his mother, and he would hide them from his mother no matter what the cost was. If he could do that, then everything would be okay, even if they were still alive.

He nodded with this plan. It would all be okay.

**~~~~X~~~**~

A few months later, Takeru found himself playing in the garden, bored. Ever since that day, Oryou had said that he was not allowed back down there and that she had just shown him so that he could take a look as the head, and that he could go back down there when he was older. He grumbled with this thought as he kicked a ball he had brought outside without any thought. He wanted to see those demons again, and check up on his sisters. For some reason, something was telling him that he needed to keep a very close eye on them. He felt as if if he were to leave them for one second, his mother would find out about their existence.

He hated that thought. His mother could never know.

He kicked the ball without thinking, watching as it rolled across the grass. He was bored of playing with the ball. It was never his sort of thing, anyways. He needed to find something else to do.

Without even bothering to put the ball away or anything like that, the boy wandered off. Looking about the garden, he wondered what interesting place he should go for an adventure. Should he visit the koi pond? No, he decided. That was boring and the most entertainment he could get out of that was sticking his finger into the cool water and watching as the koi went to inspect it. Should he see the flowers, then? No… he wasn't into flowers, either.

He turned around and looked into the forest. Smiling with mischievousness, he decided that was the place he wanted to go. He ran into the forest without a thought, grinning. He wasn't supposed to go in there for a number of reasons, a lot of them being the fact that the entrance to the basement where the demons were kept was there. This was something that increased his need to explore, however.

When he got to the end of the forest area, he noticed that the steal doors that kept the demon basement shut were wide open. The servants were probably doing some work in there, he concluded. A thought filled his mind. What if he were to go in there? He was curious to see it again, after all. He would be scolded later, but who cared? He just wanted to take a look inside.

He entered the basement and walked down the stairs, getting to the open wooden doors. He went right by them right away, and then into the area in which the demons were kept.

He looked about. Servants were in there with plastic bags full of meat, and they were throwing some slabs into cells. The demons then proceeded to chomp down on the meat hungrily, enjoying the taste of it thoroughly. Now that he thought about it, he remembered Oryou saying that they didn't often feed the demons because of the money it required to feed them every so often, so they would get food maybe once a month. The demons were always eager to get new food.

But what was on his mind right now was the subject of the twin demons, his sisters.

He went down the aisles, ignoring the servants who questioned what he was doing there. He ignored all the other demons who stared at him curiously (well, the ones who didn't get the food yet, anyways. The ones who did were too busy eating) and ran to the very back of the basement, where he was met by a man pulling out some meat from a plastic bag, gazing at his still sleeping sisters.

He ran up to the servant right away, much to the man's surprise.

"Takeru? Did Oryou say you can come down here?" he asked.

Takeru nodded. "Yes," he lied. "She said I could observe you feeding the demons."

He held the meat at his side, and he looked at the two, sleeping twin demons. "Do you know about them?" he asked, referring to their identity.

"Yes, I do," he answered.

The man nodded. "Good." Then, he paused, looking at the meat that was in his hand and then at the still sleeping twin demons. "Well then, would you like to try out feeding these two for yourself? It will be an interesting experience," he offered, a smile on his face as he suggested this idea to the boy.

This did sound interesting to Takeru, so he nodded his head and smiled. "Oh yes, I would love to try!"

The man patted him on the head as he handed him the slab of meat. "The door is open. All you have to do is set down the meat and they will wake up instantly at the smell of it. It's that simple! No danger involved at all. The demons won't hurt you or scratch you or anything like that," he explained to the boy.

Takeru opened the metal door, which let out a creaking sound as it did so. This was enough to stir awake the twin demons, and when they caught the scent of the meat, they instantly shot up from sleep and sat next to each other, gazing at the meat with identical looks of eagerness on their face as they waited patiently for the boy to give them their food.

He stepped into the cage, holding the meat above their heads, ready to drop it.

But before he could, one of the demons grasped for the meat, and he reflexively pulled it back up higher, much to the demon's annoyance. The other twin tried to reach for it too, batting at it with her claws, but he pulled it away from her once again.

Suddenly, a fun idea popped into his head. He held the meat above them teasingly, and one of the demons swiped for it. He brought it away from her the moment she did, causing the next twin to try to do the same. He stood on his tip-toes as he held the meat up higher and higher, as high as his hands would allow him to as the demons tried snatching it.

They stood up and went for it, causing the boy to hide the meat behind his back. When the demons reached for it behind his back, he held it higher.

The servant frowned. "I don't think you should do that, Takeru. Just give them their meat…"

He ignored the man. This game was just too fun! The demons tried grabbing it higher up behind his back, but he removed the meat from behind his back and at his side. They went for his side, and he held it high up in front of him. When they went for that, he changed the position of the meat again. It was really fun for him!

But not for the demons. Tears began to fill their eyes in frustration, just wanting the meat so that she could go ahead and eat it. However, one of them quickly shook off those tears, while the other began to cry a little more. The demon that shook off the tears grew a very, very, very angry look on her face. She began viciously grabbing for the meat, and the boy took it as a sign to increase the pace. He changed positions of the meat over and over again, much to the demon's annoyance.

"Give me the meat!" she demanded.

"You have to catch it first if you want to win!" he teased.

The demon got even more angry with this and began furiously grabbing for it. But once again, the boy would just change it. When she went for it in the front, he would put it behind his back. When she went for it in the back, he would hold it higher. When she went for it higher, he would put it lower at his side. When she went for his side, he would go back to the front and repeat this process. It was fun for the boy. It was much more fun than playing with a stupid ball!

The demon's frustration was at its peak. She became so frustrated that she brought her claws out, and quickly swiped her claws right down the boy's chest, digging deeply.

He screamed out in pain and dropped the meat right away. The demon who had been crying lunged for the meat, the tears instantly fading away like they were never even there, while the other just sat there with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"I win!" she declared before moving to go join her sister and eat her meat.

"Number Twenty-Seven!" he yelled out. "I'll have to scold you for that later!"

The demon ignored him and ate her meat.

"Whatever, that doesn't matter right now." He turned towards Takeru. "Let's get you up for some aid, right this moment!"

He quickly locked the door and ran the stairs with the injured Takeru, who was clutching the long rake mark across his chest. It was bleeding horribly, and the pain was simply terrible. The demon had clawed him very deeply. They ran across the yard, the servant helping him across as the loss of blood was beginning to make him rather dizzy.

"Oryou-sama!" the servant yelled out. "Oryou-sama!"

The old woman came from her room, looking a little irritated. "What is it, Yu—" She was instantly cut off when she took a look at her son. "What happened? !" she instantly demanded.

"I'll explain later. Take him to your room and I'll get the doctor!" cried the servant as he handed Takeru off to the old woman.

Oryou sighed as she looked at the boy. He could tell she wanted to be harsh with him, but she knew that it probably wasn't the right time to be mad at him. He was horribly hurt, after all. She could scold him after he was healed. She took him to her room and lay the crying boy right down on the futon, though she did not tuck him in so that the wound was still visible.

The doctor came shortly and bandaged up his wounds, dealing with them and putting treatment on them.

"It's a pretty serious cut, it'll probably scar," the doctor informed the woman. "Demon cuts are usually serious and deep and they take a while to completely heal, but I have all I can do. Only time can do the rest," he explained, packing his stuff back up. He looked at the boy sternly. "Please don't go near demons ever again, they usually don't attack but it's not good to be near them so young." He stood up with his things.

"Thank you, Doctor," Akane spoke.

"It's no problem. Do tell me if things get worse. With that…"

The doctor left the room, leaving behind Takeru, Akane, Oryou, and the servant who had been with Takeru at the time of the injury.

"So, tell me what happened," Akane spoke to the servant.

He sighed. "Well, he came down here and told me that Oryou-sama had told him to come down so that he could see us feed the demons. Naturally, I offered him if he wanted to feed the demons. He accepted… but…" he rubbed the back of his head. "He made up this game in which he moved the meat around so that the demons could not get it, and one of them got so frustrated that she went ahead and clawed him, causing him to drop the meat."

Oryou sighed. "Which demons?"

"Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight."

This caused her to sigh once again. "Thank you, you're excused. Go finish your work or something," she ordered the servant,

"You are welcome." The servant bowed and left.

As Takeru lay in bed, he thought about the game and how the demon had scratched him. That demon was his own sister. With that scratch and how painful it had been, he decided that he did NOT like his sister one bit. He was curious about them before and felt fine because he knew that Akane would never find out about them, but now, a burning hatred was running in his veins. He decided that he would not just accept them. He would do whatever he could to prevent Akane from finding out about them, no matter what the cost was. His sisters were cruel and evil, like the legend said. They didn't look all that evil when he saw that at first, but… no. He knew now that they were definitely evil.

_Don't worry, Takeru. You will kill them one day._

That thought calmed him down a little. One day, he would be able to get rid of those evil beasts once and for all, and become a true hero, just like the legend said. He suddenly really wanted the day to come, and he was suddenly very aware of his position as a hero. He would not be evil if he were to kill those stupid demons. He would, in fact, become someone wonderful and great for killing those evil twins.

He grinned at the thought.

One day, he was going to become someone great and destroy what had just caused him pain. Then, everyone would recognize him for doing so.

He couldn't wait for that day to happen.

**~~~~X~~~~**

_1978, age ten_

Takeru could only stand there in complete horror as he looked about the basement. It was a huge mess. Everywhere around him lay dead corpses of demons, coating with thick, red blood. He was now looking at Kenji, the head demon of the family. He was covered in blood, his face full of complete and utter shock. It was appropriate, though. He had not been expecting Oryou to turn on him, and when she ordered him to not defend himself, he hadn't actually except her to kill him.

_"These demons are cursed, Takeru. We can't go on living like this."_

Those words burned in his head. Those were the words she had said before she went ahead and slaughtered them all. Though, he had to wonder what she meant by that.

But that wasn't the main thing on his mind right now.

He ran down the aisles full of dead demons, ignoring the disgusting smell that was around him. It had been a day since the killing, and none of the bodies had been bothered to be moved. The stench was awful. He reached the end of the aisle, getting to the very back of the basement. His running turned into walking as he slowly approached the back of the room, to the cell.

His grandmother was standing in front of the cell as she looked down upon the twin demons, who were peacefully sleeping. Anyone who saw them would think that they were dead, slaughtered just like the rest, and Takeru would think that too if he didn't know any better.

"Takeru, I'm bringing them up," she informed him.

A small alarm went off in his head, wondering if what he thought she was saying was true.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"To their mother. To Akane. I don't want her to be sad anymore. These two have no reason to be here anymore, and they will have much more use back with their mother," Oryou explained. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a bunch of shining keys. She stuck one in the lock, and at that very sound, an even louder alarm went off in his head.

"NO!" he yelled out without thinking.

There was some stirring from the twins at that sound, but neither of them woke.

"What do you mean by that, Takeru?" Oryou asked her grandson. "Why no?"

"W-Well…" He needed to come up with some idea, so that it wasn't suspicious. "Mom would be angry with you. Imagine her reaction and you having to explain why you hid them from her for no reason and turned them into demons," he spoke.

Oryou stopped for a moment, thinking about this deeply. She sighed. "You're right. What in the world am I going to say to Akane?" There was worry in her eyes as she looked up, thinking about it hard. "Ah…"

"So don't let them go. Besides, I think we need a few demons to do chores and fighting if it is needed. Like… they could take down robbers," he suggested.

Oryou thought about this for a while, and silence followed while she did. After a while, Oryou locked the door back up and put the keys back in her pockets, grumbling.

"I guess you're right. Well, I'll find some use for them…"

She began to walk away, and as she did so, Takeru grinned wildly. He had blocked the evil twins from meeting their mother, and everything from being ruined.

_And one day, I will completely take you down._

Yes, the thought of that was nice. He was the Hero. He would someday destroy the evil twins.

_Hurry up, day. I want to become a Hero and destroy them… right now._

**~~~~X~~~~**

_1982, one year ago. Age fourteen._

Throughout the last seven years, the boy had kept a close eye on those demons and made sure that they would never be shown to their mother. Even when Oryou did not kill them after killing all the other demons and suggested that they bring them to their mother so that she would no longer be unhappy, he had instantly rejected it. It was perfect, and there were no flaws in his watch so far. The twins would never be found out about until they revealed themselves as the villain, and then as the Hero, he would take them down.

The last few years had been better for him, actually. Akane actually had become genuinely loving, something he appreciated. However, the topic of the twins would still come up every so often, so it wasn't like it was completely forgotten. Well, that was impossible, anyways. She could never forget that. Still, though, there was no way to know what was on her mind when she was on her own.

Takeru had decided to study more about The Legend of The Hero. And what better way to study than to read The Legend of Makoto and Koichi? It was the copy Koichi himself had written, and he found the whole thing very interesting. So far, the most shocking part was that Makoto was not male. "He" was, in fact, female. It had been something he noticed right away and at first thought it was a mistake, but as he read on, he discovered that it was really true.

He didn't mention it to anyone, though.

He was at the great climax, reading what had happened. Koichi was now being attacked by a massive amount of demons, but he was too strong for them! He was describing how he killed each and every one of the demons who tried to attack him. But, unfortunately, it left enough time for Makoto to get away. However, he was now running through the crowd, through the battlefield stained with black and red blood, to the forest where she had run to.

He found her there, and when she saw him, she was in shock. There was already no match! Koichi noted in his book that she was a lot smaller than him, and seemed very young. Some of the other demons… no, most of the other demons seemed older than her. The size difference was too great for Makoto to do anything to hurt the man. Koichi was just too powerful.

He read through the scene excitedly. This was the part where The Legend of the Hero was mentioned.

_"Any last words, demon?" I asked._

_ "Yes," the beast managed to speak. "Destruction will come to your village in the future. I can just see it."_

_ "And how will this happen, Makoto?" I practically spat the beast's name out. I doubted her completely._

_ "It will happen like this." The vile demon paused. "…One day, there will be a man that comes to the village. He is the enemy. He will destroy all of your village, every last man and every last building you have. Everything will be gone. Onigafuchi itself will be forgotten!" she yelled out to me._

_ When I heard those words come from the demon's mouth, I knew it could not be true. Our glorious village would not come to an end, even if she said so. "But that's not true, Makoto. There will be two."_

_ "What…?"_

_ "There will be two heroes. Yes, a set of twins. They will come to the village and stop that destruction you speak of. Yes, that man will not destroy my village!"_

Takeru stared at the text, dumbstruck. He went back up and read it again. Then he read it twice. Three times. Was it really true?

He turned to the cover page. It was indeed the edition written by Koichi, there was no doubt about it. He had written his own signature on the cover, even if it was beginning to fade away. He stared back at the page, the horrible truth beginning to sink into him as he read it over for a fourth time.

The Legend of the Hero was told backwards.

He was not the Hero of Onigafuchi.

He was the villain.

Horror lit every single bone in his body, every single fiber in his being, and he felt as if everything he knew had crumbled down into a lump of bitter, gray ash. If he was not the Hero, he would not become someone great. The person who would become great… no, the people who would become great were those wretched, evil twins in the basement, who had done nothing their whole lives except sit there.

He unbuttoned his shirt, staring down at the claw marks that were still there. Yes, those evil demons were not heroes. This was proof of it.

But the legend said that was not true, that they were the heroes. And the legend was the law in this case. They were the heroes.

_So… I'm the villain?_

Everything he had ever hoped for was now dead. All he ever wanted was to become someone great. That was why he had trained hard, why he had prevented the twins from being released. So what had be had been working for? Everything he had done was for nothing. Everything he had done was a waste if he was the a villain. He would not become someone great, but someone horribly cruel and wicked.

_But… that doesn't have to be true if you don't want it to be. You've worked this hard. There has to be some truth behind it. _These words were spoken by a voice in his head, a voice that he was reluctant to believe at first. _Think about it. What defines a villain and a hero? You want to kill them. Maybe that's why you're a villain…_

No, that was it. The reason why he was a villain was because he wanted them, the supposed heroes, dead. If he were to kill them… then… he could reverse everything. He could change his destiny and change his fate. He could still become someone great if he were to follow this path that was set for him.

If he were to act as the villain and kill the twins, he would get what he wanted. Everything could be perfect if they just weren't there…! Yes, that was it! If he played villain and murdered them, then nothing would be to waste! Everything would be just as he wanted!  
>This whole switch didn't matter. His plans were the same, anyways. He would murder those twins and achieve what he wanted. Those twins were the ones getting in the way of everything. If he could kill them in secret and convince everyone that he was truly the hero, he would become one. He didn't need this legend to be right to be a hero, to be someone great.<p>

All he needed now was to kill those twins.

Yes, everything was in mind. With this, he could take down the twins… and everything would be just as he wanted. He could become a hero and be written in history as someone that was great, and be recognized for that. He could be happy and spend life with his family without having to worry about the twins showing up again and taking what attention they had on him. He could do this if he were to just follow the legend exactly and play villain.

He smirked. Yes, if he did this… everything would be perfect.

It was all set in stone. He just needed to figure out how he would execute it.

Well, whatever it was, he would think about it later. He had done enough for now. Looking back at the book, he decided he would continue to read it to distract himself. Maybe he'd think something up as he read more. _Yes, I'll think of something. But whatever the case is… those twins are dead meat… and everything I've ever wanted will be in my grasp._

_ It's all perfect… it's just too perfect!_

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner**

**Thirty-Seven down, three to go. Oh boy. The ending… I can practically see it! Man, it will be odd when it's all over.**

**It's interesting writing about a villain and how they came to be, though Takeru doesn't seem to think that he's truly the villain. And his plans here may contradict what he did later… but do note that this was a year ago and things changed, things got messed up (he wasn't expecting Masaru to come on stage and tell everyone he was a liar, for one) and that sort of thing. Takeru is an interesting OC… I've come to like him quite a bit even though he's a terrible person. In some ways. Well, it's different if you are the author, actually writing this character. I don't like him, but I've gotten used to writing him and attached to him in that sort of way. If that makes any sense. You know, he was going to be revealed as evil from the beginning, but I decided against it in the end because that's not really how this fanfiction works with his character. In GED, we had an Obvious Evil character, which I made no attempt to hide. But that was because her motive was what the twist was. Here, it just didn't work as well. Therefore, the change! And it took me forever to choose his name. I don't remember if it was the night where I was about to write the prologue that I chose it or when I was at the part where he was about to walk in the classroom. I had to go to several different websites to find a name. And Takeru just screamed… Takeru, to me. Doesn't make sense, but it does to me who knew his character since before he had a name!**

**I hope you will all stick with me as we go through these very last few chapters. It's all coming to an end… and it's sad to see it go. But you know what? WAN. That's what.**

**Man, it's late. I need to revise and upload quick. And man, I can't believe the date… 29****th****. 2 more days until New Year's Eve. Wow. How time and fanfictions fly… but it has been five months since BFB started. But you know, I just started picking up the upload speed...**

**~Crimso**


	39. Chapter 38: Atonement

**Crimso's Corner**

**It's the 30****th**** and tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and I don't really have any plans. Oh well. I can just spend another relaxing New Year's Eve with nothing to do. That's always fun. Well, I guess I can still say it's the 29****th****. It's one AM in the morning and I still consider it to be the 29****th**** until I actually go to sleep and wake up. I think I've said this a number of times, so in order not to bore you, I am going to skip right to the notes.**

**Note One: Takes place right after he has told his tale. Everything that was said in the last chapter is what he said out loud.**

**Note Two: Second to last chapter. …I… can't believe it.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Atonement**

They all listened, and they all took in the details of this story the boy before them was telling them all. It was a strange tale, a tale of how an ordinary boy became a villain, just like the legend had said. But no matter how you looked at it, this was not what the boy truly believed. He may have said he decided to follow his destiny by playing that role, but that wasn't really the truth. He believed himself that he was not truly a villain, that his action were justified by his previous experiences.

It was, in some ways, a tragic tale, of how a normal boy who could have become someone great decided to corrupt himself… without even knowing that he was. It was just one big misunderstanding on his part.

"That's all," he concluded.

After those words, no one really knew what to say. They just stood there for a few moments, taking in the details of what had just been told to them. They processed the information, letting it go through their minds.

It was truly a sad tale.

"But as you know, it didn't go completely as planned," Takeru spoke. "I was not expecting Masaru to go ahead and tell everyone the truth, for one, and even with my backup plan, I didn't expect you to kill Yasuo…"

This was one of the reasons why everything went wrong, Keiichi noted, even though it wasn't even what he planned to happen, causing all of this to happen. But no matter how he looked at it, he was not a true villain. His actions were barely forgivable and Keiichi knew that he would never be able to forgive him for killing Rena, but perhaps he could atone for his sins by fixing this all. It would take time and effort to convince people, probably even years, but if they tried hard to fix the boy before them, maybe, just maybe, they could.

Things would never be like normal. Rena was dead, as was hundreds of the villagers, and Takeru would probably be labeled with a bad name for the rest of his life, even after he had atoned. But… it was too late to fix those things. They just had to fix what they could for now, and that one thing that they could fix was Takeru. If they could convince him to stop all of this, to spare the rest of the lives of the villagers that were to be killed in the coming minutes, then he could apologize and atone by doing good things for the village. It would be hard, but Keiichi could see it.

"I'm… sorry, Takeru," Akane told him gently. "I didn't know that you were listening and—"

"And what? It doesn't matter if I heard it or not, you still hate me. Even now, you wouldn't mind if I died, because you have your precious _twins_ with you now." He practically spat the word twins, and there was hatred in his tone as he spoke it.

This was just what prompted Mion to talk.

"And I'm sorry, too. For scratching you like that. I've always been a competitive person, and when it comes to games, I'd do anything to win. And since that was technically a game…" She looked ashamed of herself, knowing that such an action had led to the build up of the death of hundreds of villagers. Though in his mind, Keiichi wouldn't have doubted Mion to do something like that, and if this whole incident hadn't ever happened, she probably would have never cared or apologized. She always loved winning, after all.

Shion nodded her head. "I didn't scratch, but… I'm sorry, anyways. For all that I ever did to cause this." Really, all that she meant by that was "I'm sorry for existing." She could have said that out loud and the words would not be any different, but it sounded cruel and sad, so she didn't say those words. Instead, she stuck with just apologizing for everything.

"Too late for that, too. Should have told me earlier." There was bitterness in his voice, but he actually seemed thankful for the late apology. Still, though, it was indeed an apology that had come much too late. In fact, there were some unshed tears beginning to well up in his eyes, shimmering with the reflection of the silver moon.

Satoshi looked down at the ground, having nothing to apologize for. He wasn't too sure what to say. But when he finally spoke, they were words of encouragement. "Listen, Takeru. …Keiichi and I… we believe in you. We believe that you can do this. I'm sure Shion believes, and Mion too, as well as your mother. We believe that if you give up on this dream and move on, we can return to the fun times."

Keiichi nodded his head in agreement at Satoshi's words. "I agree with Satoshi. We all believe in you, that you can fix everything. While it may be too late with the dream of becoming a hero or killing the twins, you can still become someone great for atoning for this sin of yours. It may take years, maybe decades, but you can do it. Because you're a strong person." He gave him a reassuring smile, sticking out his hand for him as Rena had done right before she had died. "I quote Rena when I say to believe in me." It was a reflection of her own last words, as if he were honoring the girl's spirit.

He turned away from the hand, ignoring it completely. The tears in his eyes began to grow to the point where one of them trickled down his cheek.

"I said it was too late, Keiichi, Satoshi. No matter what you say, I will still be known as the boy who murdered hundreds for his own selfish want. Because he wanted to become… a hero." There was clear pain in his eyes now, and another tear streaked its way down his cheek, hitting the grass below. "It's all too late. What I wanted is now impossible. What I lived for."

Mion stepped forwards. "I know you've done terrible things to me in the past, like ordering Yasuo to capture all those children and have me kill them… but… I think I can forgive you, like Kei-chan says, if you are willing to atone for your sins. If you can become someone great through that, perhaps by cleaning up the town, then this demon here is sure!" There was confidence in her tone, bravery. She was truly showing the real Mion to the boy in front of her, her own younger brother. "You should listen to him… really!"

"I'm sure you'll still be the heir," Shion spoke. "Sis here hasn't gone through training like you have, and there is no way that Oryou-sama will disinherit you or anything. You can still become someone!"

It was now Akane's turn to speak. She looked down at her broken son, who was now crying uncontrollably. Tears rolled down his cheeks like never before as he realized he was indeed wrong, that his dream had been shattered because of what he had done. "Dear, listen to me. I didn't love you at first, but I grew to love you. You became my irreplaceable, precious little boy. I would never give you up for anything, and I want you to know that. Those days are long over. So… as your mother… I think I can forgive you if you are willing to give up this stupid dream. Like your father said… it would be fine." She smiled at the boy, sadly. "So, please…"

Takeru listened to each and every one of their words as he sobbed, taking them in and thinking hard about them. Could he still become a hero if he were to atone for these sins?

"Rena…" he whispered.

Keiichi sighed at the mention of her name, and he looked over to the dead body. Her eyes now closed, she looked as if she were sleeping, and one would assume so if it weren't for all the blood surrounding her and staining her clothing. "Takeru, I'm sure she's with us right now, her spirit. I'm sure that she's listening to this right now, listening to your story and understanding you, just like she would do if she were alive. I know you killed her… but… I don't think that you were truly thinking, Takeru." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath. He needed to be convincing. "Remember her last words to you, Takeru! What did she say again? She said that she believed in you, that you could still become someone if you were to give up the dream you had now. You can still become a hero in another way. And when you do, I'm sure she'll be watching you, and being proud of you! Her spirit is still with us!" he cried out. "It's nothing that I can easily forgive… no, it's something barely forgivable. I'm not going to lie about that. But like I said, if you can become someone great by atoning, then you can be forgiven! I'm sure that Rena's spirit will forgive you for that, too!" He paused again, catching his breath. "So that's why we all believe in you, and we want you to come with us right now and move on from this!"

Takeru listened, but tears were still falling down his cheeks. They all stood there and watched him, waiting for him to say something, for him to make some sort of move. But they all understood it was hard for him to give up on the fighting for now, to believe in them when they said that he could become someone better. So they all waited, giving him the time that he needed to make this decision. He looked down at the ground, his bangs shadowing over his eyes and mostly hiding his expression from the world.

But that's when they were interrupted by footsteps, footsteps that came to a halt when they came to the scene before everyone.

"Master Takeru, we're losing demons by the minute," the demon who had arrived spoke. "Most of the Thirties have been lost aside from Number Thirty-Five and Number Thirty-Nine, and a lot of the twenties and tens have gone as well. Numbers between forty and fifty have few missing demons and are still fighting, but the Furudes are still strong. Some have been killed, but they have Kai and Kaede on their side. At this rate… everyone will die."

Takeru looked up to the demon, and slowly stood up. He gazed at the demon, showing almost no sign of emotion as he did so. "Thank you, Number Forty-Nine."

She bowed to him. "It's no problem, master Takeru. What are your orders?"

He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself for a bit. Then, finally, he spoke. "Number Forty-Nine, tell everyone to stop at once."

She looked surprised. "Huh?"

"You heard me. All fighting shall be ceased and this war will end right here. We're forfeiting this." He looked further into the woods, seeing the figure of a demon that had been approaching, but had stopped in her tracks upon hearing his words. "You heard me too, Number Fifty. If they don't believe her tell them you heard it, too."

Everyone looked over at Takeru, a huge smile on their face as they heard him speak those words. He had finally given up on the dream and decided to listen and pursue his want to become someone great by atonement.

The demon, Number Fifty, looked over to Number Forty-Nine, both of them looking very surprised at the order when their master had been so intent on the battle before. It was very confusing, but they had no choice but to obey.

Number Forty-Nine nodded her head. "As you wish, Master." She turned towards her partner. "Let's get going, we have convincing to do."

"Right."

The two demons left, leaving behind the group.

"Shall we go, too?" Keiichi asked.

Satoshi nodded. "We should."

Mion, Shion, Satoshi, Keiichi, and Akane turned around, beginning to head back. However, Keiichi instantly stopped and turned around when he realized that Takeru had not followed. He was instead standing there, his eyes gazing at the ground.

"What's wrong, Takeru?" he asked. "Aren't you coming?"

He shook his head.

"Why not?" Keiichi asked.

That was when the boy looked up, straight into his eyes. There were tears running down his face, and a look of pure sorrow plastered all across it, sorrow like no one had ever known before. "I know you said I can atone…" he spoke, his voice breaking up completely. "I listened to it all, I listened to what you said completely. But you know what?" he took a deep breath. "As I said before, it's already… too late…"

Suddenly, and before anyone knew what was happening, the boy reached down and took the gun that was on the ground, pointing it at the group of them. Everyone became completely horrified by this, wondering what had suddenly told him to whip out the gun and shoot them even though he had informed the demons that he wanted the war to end. However, his intentions quickly became clear when the direction of the gun was changed.

"Takeru, what in the world are you—"

The sentence was not finished. A gunshot cut off whatever words were to be said, and the boy quickly fell to the ground, blood pouring out of the wound created by the gunshot right in his head.

No one moved, and no one ran up to check on him or anything similar to that. Takeru just lay there, completely still. He didn't even twitch.

"T-Takeru…" whispered Satoshi.

"…What the hell… we just convinced him that everything was going to be fine, and then he goes ahead and commits suicide?" spoke Keiichi in disbelief. He just couldn't believe that even with everyone's words of encouragement, he still gave up on not only his dream, but also his very own life. He didn't have to do that! Everything was going to be completely fine. They were going to heal him and patch him back up, and then go on with their lives, happily. But he just had to do that! He had to kill himself and shatter what could have been perfect for not only them, but for him, too! He could have had his dream achieved, even if not in the way he planned it at first. So why did he do that?

But in the end, it became clear. He was just too stubborn and did not believe.

Akane stood there, completely stunned. Her son had just committed suicide right before her very eyes, and there were no words that she could find to speak.

Mion and Shion stood there, horrified. They exchanged stunned glances, but they too couldn't find words to speak.

"T-Takeru…" Akane managed to speak out, tears in her eyes. It was the expected reaction. "Oh… Takeru…"

"Mom…" Mion whispered as she looked over at her mother's tearful gaze. Shion did as well, though she remained silent.

"…I-In any case… I don't think there's anything we can… do," Satoshi spoke. "And besides… we need to tell everyone what happened…"

Keiichi nodded. It seemed very odd to just walk away from the scene like that when there was a boy, a former close friend, who had just committed suicide there, and a girl, a very close friend, who had been shot dead, but there really wasn't anything they could do now. They had done their job, and now they just needed to tell everyone and see the end to this war. There was no longer a point in standing there. They would have to go back and fetch the two bodies later.

"Let's go…"

Satoshi and Keiichi began to walk away, leaving behind the corpse of a boy who had gone horribly wrong in life. Akane stood there, stunned to the ground as she looked at the dead body of her son. A hand gently touched hers, and she looked over to find the gaze of her youngest daughter, who was silently telling her that they had to go, and that it would be more painful. This look gave her some courage, and she nodded, walking along with her two daughters, who were attempting to comfort her along the way. It was indeed better this way.

They walked along the paths silently, until the two demons from before came into view. They were cutting down the nets that Satoko had set up containing the demon comrades, explaining to them what had just happened.

"Master has ordered us to forfeit…" Number Forty-Nine spoke.

"H-Huh?" replied Number Thirty-Nine, one of the demons who had just been cut down.

"It's true, I was there," Number Fifty added on.

They did not yet know that their master was dead, but that was all to be revealed in time. They just needed to clean up this mess of a war by going to the shrine and stopping the main battle.

Akane was still sobbing, but the twins were doing their best to comfort their mother. It was hard to do so, as her son _had_ just died, and that was something that was hard to get over, but they were doing their very best attempt and it was very comforting to have her two daughters by her side.

"Mom, it will be okay. I don't think it would have worked out, anyways. He did some pretty bad things…" Shion told her gently.

"Yeah…"  
>Akane shook her head. "I know that, but he was still my son…! Your brother…! I didn't love him at first, but still…! I didn't want him to die!" She looked at the twins on her side, some strength in her eyes as she did so. "…But now you two have to promise that you will never die, and you will never leave me again. Ever."<p>

Shion nodded her head and reached out to her mother's hand, clutching it tightly. "Of course. Sis and I both promise that."

Mion squeezed her mother's hand to comfort her, a silent promise.

**~~~~X~~~**

Eventually, the group of them reached the Furude Shrine. There was still battle going on, as the demons who had been informed to stop were right in front of them, having paused for a while to get all the demons out of the traps. They were now also convinced of the truth, but they needed to stop the main battle, fast.

When they got there, Keiichi looked about the shrine area. There were so many corpses that it was crazy. There were barely any humans there now, the ones reaming being severely injured or dead. However, demons were fighting with each other now. There were notably less Kimiyoshi demons than Furude demons, probably due to the fact that Kai and Kaede, two of the strongest demons ever, were on their side. There was no way that they would be able to beat them. However, there were some Furude corpses on the ground along with a mass of Kimiyoshi corpses. Not only that, but whole scene was painted with blood. Keiichi wanted to throw up when he saw how much blood there was. Never before had he seen so much blood in one place, and the fact that it belonged to a mix of a hundreds of people made him even more sick.

Number Forty-Nine took a deep breath and ran into the crowd.

"STOP!" she yelled out to all of them.

The number of demons was small enough for everyone to pause in their tracks, and some of the demons that had been fighting to step away from each other as they looked at the demon that had just interrupted them all.

"Master as ended the war! He tells everyone to stop! It's a forfeit!"

There was murmuring breaking out amongst the many demons there.

"What in the world! ?" cried a Kimiyoshi demon. "What are you talking about, Number Forty-Nine? Master wouldn't forfeit!"

"But he did!" yelled Number Fifty, stepping up to take a place next to her partner. "I was there when he said so, he told me to tell you all too! Isn't that right, guys?" She turned around to face the group of demons that had been rescued from the various traps along the way.

One of the demons nodded. "It's true, it's a forfeit!"

"We have to stop!"

All the fighting demons looked at each other, unsure for a moment. But when they heard how many demons were saying that they had heard it too, they sheathed their claws and inched apart from each other, showing no signs of hostility.

"Wow," Keiichi whispered. "That was… easy…"

Mion nodded. "Well, they're demons. They have to obey. Just like how things were with me before you saved me."

Keiichi smiled a little bit at the memory of saving her. He had come a long way, hadn't he?

Suddenly, they were approached by two demons, everyone instantly recognizing them as none other than Kai and Kaede. They had blood on them and were injured, but it looked like it was nothing too severe. They were demons and could be healed easily, after all. It did look like they had fought hard, though, and everyone was rather glad to see that they were both safe.

"It appears as if Sonozaki Takeru has given in," Kaede said.

Keiichi nodded. "He did. …We tried to convince him to come back with us… but…" he swallowed, having a hard time getting the next few words out. "He killed himself…"

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "That is very surprising. I suppose that he felt guilty for everything he had done." She sighed when that was spoken. "Serves him right, though. He killed off hundreds of people. While we did manage to save a few, others…"

Kai sighed as well. "We don't need to say it, Kaede. They can see it."

"Right. Well, as you can see the numbers left unsaved is quite large. And I believe that there are more demons out there that are still attacking." She looked over to the forest, and then further down the pathways leading farther into the village. "I will get the demons on it at once, if you wish."

"As with me. I'll do what you say if you order me too," Kai spoke.

Keiichi wasn't really sure what to say to them. He looked over to Satoshi and the rest of the group, wondering what he should say in response to them.

"I think that we need to stop them right away. So Kaede, I think you should do that," Satoshi spoke to the orange-haired demon. "And… um… didn't you say that Rika and Satoko were caring for the injured at their house? Kai, I think that you should order a few of the demons to go transport injured over to their house and seek treatment. Uh… um…" He scratched his head. "We need someone to round up the villagers who are still alive and are hiding. We need to officially declare this war over."

"That sounds good to me," Mion spoke. "I can help, if you want."

"Yeah. I think that we'll all go looking for people around the village, but some demons should do that, too," Keiichi spoke. "But it's a good plan."

Kai and Kaede looked at each other, and then back at the group of people who were standing before them.

"I'll get on it," Kaede spoke before turning around and running off.

"As will I," Kai said, bowing to the group of them before he too went off to do his job.

The demons were ordered around, and they all went off in many directions, some bending over and lifting up still alive villagers and carrying them off into the forest, and some of them running to catch the demons who were still fighting or look for humans.

"I think that we should get on our job, too," Satoshi spoke.

"Yes. Let's get going."

And with that, they set off to go find the other villagers, and finally bring this whole, silly war to an end once and for all.

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Short chapter. We needed one of them, though. And considering it's the second to last chapter… it is a little odd. But there isn't much more to say here. That was all for this chapter and I did not want to carry it on. It does seem like a strange second to last chapter but the next chapter wil continue on with scenes that just didn't fit in the end of this chapter. I'm going to start working on the next chapter tonight and maybe finish it tomorrow, and I will probably have it uploaded the first thing I do after finishing it. Yes, I know it's funny to have a 4,000 word chapter as the last chapter, but still. GED did have a longer second to last chapter (8,000 words. It was actually originally combined with the last chapter) but still. **

**Takeru. He was an interesting character, but in the end, he really just didn't believe that such a thing was possible. It's kind of true, though. The main characters make his sin seem forgivable with enough effort, but that effort would be extreme and it would be very hard for him to achieve such a thing. However, that's how things are with the main characters of Higurashi. They can forgive when they know a friend is not truly bad at heart if given enough time, especially in this case where it would take a while to forgive Rena. But Takeru… as I said, in the end he just couldn't believe in such a thing. His life was so messed up from the beginning that there wasn't much more he could take. R.I.P. Whether or not you want that to stand for "Rest in peace" or "rest in pieces" is up to you, based on whether or not you can forgive the boy. I was actually talking about whether or not the backstory could justify someone's actions in a series. Do you think that's true? I don't know if I can, like as much as Takano's backstory was sad, I still can't forgive her for trying to kill off a whole village consisting of two thousand people while having a little girl as the main target. I understand her backstory but I don't think it's enough to justify such an action. Takeru... I don't think he could be forgiven, but he's my own character and it is my own story so I cannot be the judge in this situation.**

**I can't wait to write the next chapter, really. This has been an amazing fic to write. I hope that I will have as much fun writing WAN as I had writing BFB. I will leave notes and goodbyes for the Epilogue rather than the next chapter, but I just feel like saying that I love you all if you have stayed with me until this point in the fanfiction. It's been a long run. Just the next chapter and the epilogue, guys, and we're finally finished.**

**~Crimso**


	40. Chapter 39: Closing Ceremony

**Crimso's Notes:**

**Today was an interesting day. I actually spent it doing something. I went to see some horse races with my Dad because he insisted on taking me… really, my days of camp were spent at the horse barn doing work. It was interesting. Then I got to have steak, my favorite food. Yeah, so I spent some day doing something aside from writing.**

**This is it, guys. This is the end. This is where everything is concluded and I say goodbye to another fanfiction. Well, not really. We still have the epilogue but the last chapter certainly does feel like the end to me. **

**I can't believe it. I've written two fanfictions in one year with a total of 600,000 words. That's a huge accomplishment in my mind. 2011 has been a good year in writing for me and I hope to continue on with this in 2012 by starting out with WAN. **

**I have no notes for you, I'm just thanking you from reading this. I don't want to hold the end off from you any longer, so here we go.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Closing Ceremony**

The crowd of remaining Onigafuchi residents were all standing before the Furude Shrine, where Kimiyoshi Masaru was now standing as he looked upon the people of his village. No one else was onstage, not even the group that had saved Onigafuchi from its horrible fate. He looked nervous as he stared at number of people in front of him, watching him with curious and rather fearful eyes. It was a lot lower than before, but there was still a large amount of Onigafuchi citizens. By the looks of it, it seemed as if many Onigafuchi residents had survived than died.

"Is this everyone?" he called out to the crowd.

No one said a word.

He gulped and took that as a cue to continue onwards. "Well, I suppose there are a few more people at the Furude home. Irie and Takano are caring to them; don't worry about them…" he spoke. He realized that he was getting off track and it seemed unprofessional, so he shook his head. It seemed as if his confidence from the last time he was on stage had faded away, and for a pretty good reason, too. "Ah, anyways. I think we have some important things to discuss."

Keiichi was standing amongst the crowd, looking up at the man as he spoke. He was standing in between Mion and Shion, along with Satoshi. Satoko and Rika were standing rather far away in the crowd, and none of them really wanted to push their way through the thick crowd to greet them. It wouldn't be appropriate during a meeting to speak, anyways. The two of them had appeared after hearing the news. They left the tending to Irie and Takano, who had insisted that the two of them go to hear whatever announcement the man had to make. Akane, on the other hand, had gone off to talk to her family a while ago, and was probably there somewhere amongst the crowd.

"So we all know what just happened, and why it just happened. I have been informed of what had happened a short period of time ago by a few villagers, so thank you for that." He didn't mention who the names of the villagers were, which was something that made Keiichi curious. It had been him that explained everything that had happened before, but he seemed uneasy about mentioning any names. "While there isn't much we can do today, the main clean up and recovery will start tomorrow. We will be doing a bit of work tonight. Or, rather, I'm going to be ordering my remaining demons to take care of the corpses. We've already moved them all to a location in the forest, but we will continue with what we are to do with them later. I have spoken to Furude Rika and she said that she would lend the remaining Furude demons to me."

Rika nodded but said nothing.

"Right, moving on. As you all probably know, Sonozaki Takeru pretty much declared war when he sent out demons a while ago during the Watanagashi festival after I interrupted the ceremony, proclaiming that he was not the Hero, but a villain instead," he spoke out loud to everyone, shaky confidence in his voice. "Well, I have just been informed that he committed suicide. The reason behind it is unknown, but before he died, he ordered all demons to cease attacking and as such, they have."

There was some murmuring across the crowd at the revelation.

"This is indeed true… he was not the Hero and the whole legend was really a lie. When I read the copy of The Legend of Makoto and Koichi Kimiyoshi Koichi himself wrote, I found out that the whole legend was flipped. So I knew I had to do something about it, hence the interruption. I hope that you don't mind." He cleared his throat as he thought of what else to say. "As for what we're going to do about the interrupted ceremony… we're not going to continue with it. There's been too much death and the accused Maebara Keiichi never did very much wrong in the first place. We're letting him go."

Keiichi felt relief wash over him.

"That being said, some of you are probably wondering what we're going to do about the Sonozaki situation. He was the heir, after all." He paused for a moment to look over at the crowd. "I actually haven't received word on the Sonozaki's opinion on what is going to happen." He paused again, somewhat nervous. "S-So moving on from that… the death toll." He sighed. "We don't know the numbers yet. We are going to take roll call tomorrow morning and find out who is dead, who is missing, and who is still alive and we'll give out the numbers when all of that is done. I'm suspecting a hundred or so dead, maybe two hundred. I… didn't really get a good look at the number of corpses that were being moved."

Keiichi knew for a fact that the numbers had to be well over a hundred. When he was tied up, he saw many massacred and slaughtered within seconds, and probably more when he was off talking to friends. Every second spent without the Furude demons counterattacking probably meant more death, and that number probably decreased when they arrived. Though it did take them awhile, so that meant many already lost. He had seen so much death…

"And now we get to the point where we talk about the major changes and what we are going to do tomorrow morning." He took a deep breath. "After this meeting I request that you all go back to your homes and sleep well, then wake up early so that we can get on with the roll call. I assure you that all the fighting is over and there will be no demons out to kill you in your sleep, so you can rest well. During the night and most of tomorrow morning, the demons and a few humans will be working on cleaning up the place. I will be in charge of roll call. It will be set up right here in front of the Furude Shrine, so just tell me your name and I'll check you off the list. It will be up all tomorrow and the next few days, and after a week or so, or when we stop getting new names, we'll release the information. Others may tell us who they have saw die, but only if they know for sure if they are dead."

Keiichi winced. He was sure he would be the one going up there and signing Rena off as dead. It would be incredibly painful.

He looked around the crowd again. "And now, we get onto the big part. We are going to have major changes in this village to prevent this sort of thing from ever happening again. I have spoken to the Furude Rika and a little to Sonozaki Oryou about the changes and they have agreed to them."

Keiichi grew curious at the mention of this. They were to have major changes, and Keiichi was sure that they would live up to the "major" part of their name, judging by how big this incident was.

"We, Onigafuchi, have been living in the dark for much too long. We have lived in a village named Onigafuchi with tales of curses and the like. As such, we have decided to switch and change this whole village entirely. It will take a ton of effort, but we are sure we can do it and every head agreed to it. First of all, the name. We all know that Onigafuchi means 'Demon's Abyss,' which is by no means appealing and welcoming. To fit in with the new village and atmosphere, we are changing the name." He took another moment to look down at the crowd. "From the day all clean up and preparations are finished, we will take on the name of Hinamizawa."

_Hinamizawa_. It was a much more peaceful and friendly sounding name than Onigafuchi, that was for sure. Maybe if it had been called that before, Keiichi wouldn't have been so reluctant to move to it, even if the legends about demons living there still existed. It was a wonderful change and Keiichi was very glad about it. Maybe more people would move in and he would be able to gain new friends.

"But that being said, we have a lot to do to reach this goal. And to make this a peaceful place, we have decided on something big." He gulped and played with the collar of his shirt. "Because of how demons are easy to manipulate, and how they caused this whole problem in the first place, and because they are the reason we have been known as a dark town, he have decided to terminate every demon in this town."

Gasps and murmurs sounded out from the audience, and Keiichi felt himself freeze to the ground. Were they really going to kill all the demons? He looked towards his friends. Satoshi was shifting a little uncomfortably, Satoko looked shocked, and Rika was staring at the ground darkly. He slowly turned towards Mion and Shion, who were now both wearing a look of horror and fear on their faces.

As much like a human as they had become, Mion and Shion, in the end, were still demons. The execution and termination would include them.

Fear lit up in Keiichi like never before as he realized just what was going to happen to them, and he felt it burn right through every vein in his body, like the feeling of fire turned liquid.

"That's right… after they are done with the clean up, we will begin executing demons. There will be no exceptions." His voice was very, very shaky as he spoke those words, knowing how dramatic of a change it was. "Every single last demon here will be executed. I will start with my own demons and then call up the Furude and Sonozaki demons to be executed, and then we will move on and kill the remaining demons that are held by families. I have a list of demons in the village and who they belong to, so I know who you are. I will not allow any demon to remain alive and there will be punishment if any of you try to hide demons. At the roll call, please bring your demons and check them in."

He took another deep breath. "T-That's all. Please wake up early and sign in for the roll call, then report anyone who is dead. Thank you for listening… and this meeting is dismissed."

Keiichi found that everyone in the crowd was moving away, but he found that his legs would not budge, as if they had been paralyzed completely. Mion and Shion stood at his side, neither of them moving an inch, having been frozen along with him in the blizzard that was the announcement of execution.

"Mion… Shion…" was all he could get out.

Neither of them dared to say a word.

The silence, however, was interrupted when Satoko and Rika ran over to the group of them, calling out Keiichi and Satoshi's name as they did so.

"Satoko, Rika!" cried Satoshi as he ran over to the two of them. "I'm glad to see that the two of you are all right!"

Satoko shot him a toothy grin. "Well, my traps are always the best, so that was expected," she boasted.

"We're glad to see you all right, too," Rika said with a smile. "We were taking care of the poor injured people over back at the house with Irie, so there's a lot of people over there right now. Irie can't transport them all to the clinic right now so he offered to let us sleep in the clinic."

"Uh, sure," Satoshi spoke, not sure what to say to that.

"The clinic was too far away to take people to," she explained. "Mii, I don't think that the clinic will be too uncomfortable. They have all those unoccupied patient beds and the couches, too!"

Satoko was looking around the area, a confused look on her face.

"Where's Rena?" she asked.

Satoshi let out a large sigh, a mournful and solemn expression on his face. That was all that needed to be done for Satoko's face to contort in horror, and Rika to look down at the ground with her bangs overshadowing her eyes.

"Oh… no…" Satoko whispered.

"She did her best, Satoko…" whispered Satoshi.

Keiichi did not make a move. He just stood there, as still as a statue. The twins were looking at each other, wondering what the two of them should do about the whole situation.

The Houjou siblings and Rika noticed this, and a dark expression grew on Rika's face as she realized what the problem was. Satoshi suddenly remembered what the execution meant for the two of them, and it hit him hard, like a stone to the stomach.

"Shion, Mion, Keiichi…" Rika spoke. "I'm sorry, but there was no way around it. We can try to find a way to stop it, but…" She shook her head. "It will be tough to hide them. He does know about them and he will be looking for them."

Satoshi walked over to Shion, placing a hand on her shoulder. It caused her to break out of her paralyzed state and look over at him, a curious yet fearful expression on her face. He simply smiled at her, trying to reassure her that things would be perfectly fine. They would have to find some way around it. He then went over to Mion and did the same, nodding firmly to her.

It was doubtful, though. Masaru knew they were alive and that they existed. It was going to be nearly impossible.

No, that wasn't it.

It would be impossible to stop this.

He gulped, looking over to Mion, the girl who he had spent the weeks in Onigafuchi with, and then to Shion. Would he really be able to save the two of them? He doubted it.

**~~~~X~~~~**

The next day came, and Keiichi had no choice but to leave the house with Mion and Shion at his side. They came to the Furude Shrine, where all the commotion was going on. Demons were hard at work, most of them splashing the ground with water and washing away the blood-stained ground. A few of them were monitoring the area, and there were several in the back, moving corpses around. A table was set up in front of the Furude Shrine for roll call, and a long line stood in front of it. Kimiyoshi Masaru was searching through his papers, checking off villagers as they spoke their names and crossing out villagers as people told him of their deaths, as well as noting the demons that came with the villagers.

He took a deep breath as he and the Sonozaki twins joined the line.

Mion and Shion had a determined and yet dark expression on their face, knowing that they had already been seen and their fate had been sealed a long time ago. It was impossible for them to hide from the execution, anyways. Keiichi looked over to them, his heart slowly dropping with every last second. He was practically walking them right to their deaths.

Eventually, he was at the front of the line.

"You know I'm alive," Keiichi spoke.

Masaru nodded. "I have you down."

He took a deep breath. "I brought Mi-… Sonozaki Demon Number Twenty-Seven and Sonozaki Demon Number Twenty-Eight," he said, looking over at the two demons. It killed him on the inside to use those two names, but in this situation, he really didn't have a choice. The two of them looked to the side, solemn expressions plastering their faces as those so-called "names" were mentioned. They knew he had to, though.

"Right." He checked them off. "Their execution will take place shortly after the Furudes are done. The estimate is three pm this afternoon." He looked up at him, noticing the pained expression on his face but deciding to pretend he took no notice of it whatsoever. "Don't try to hide them or anything like that, we have our eye on you."

Those words sent shivers up Keiichi's spine, and he nodded. He was sure that he said that simply because he knew how attached to them he was.

"Anything else?"

"Y-Yes…" he managed to stammer out. "Ryuuguu Rena was shot by Takeru in the forest… s-she didn't make it."

Masaru let out a sigh as he flipped through his papers, reaching the name of the girl. It pained him to see him put a long, blue line through her name with his pen. "Another youngster, huh? That's just too cruel." He put the pen down. "And I thought that the two of them had a good relationship. That's just too bad. Oh well. Thank you for the information." He paused. "Next!" he called out.

Keiichi sighed as he walked away from the roll call, moving to sit on a stone wall that surrounded the shrine. He had nothing to do until three. Mion and Shion took a seat next to him, not saying anything either.

He took the time to watch the demons.

"Forty, there's more blood over there," Kai explained as he pointed to an area that had yet to be cleaned. "Take care of it, please."

The demon grumbled in annoyance, then wandering off to fill up her bucket with water.

Meanwhile, two demons that Keiichi recognized as Number Fifty and Number Forty-Nine were working on a certain area of the ground, spilling water on top of the dirt and making sure that no blood traces remained.

"I think I recognize you two," Kaede spoke as she walked up from behind the two of them.

Number Fifty blinked in surprise, not having expected the head Furude demon to suddenly walk up and start talking to them. "Hm?"

"You two used to be Furude demons until Rika sold you for money to use on meat," Kaede explained. "Furude Demon Numbers Six and Seven, I believe."

Number Forty-Nine scratched the top of her head. "Yeah, we did use to be Furude Demons."

Kaede nodded. "Correct me if I happen to be wrong, but… Ayano and Hanako, right?" she said, looking from one of the demons to the other one.

Number Fifty looked unsure. "Well, those were our names… but then…"

"I know." Kaede suddenly smiled at the two of them, something that was somewhat rare for the older demon to do. "You two were amazing hunters."

It was an interesting sight to see, Keiichi noted. Kaede was smiling on what was chatting going to be the last day of her life, knowing that she was soon to be executed. After with the two of them, she moved onto another demon and began speaking to them about who they used to be before their name was stripped away. She was speaking of Makoto, and how much of a great leader she had been. She spoke these words with nostalgia, enjoying herself on the last day she could.

Keiichi looked to Mion and Shion. They weren't doing too much, both of them just in shock knowing that these next few hours would be their last few hours. It was eleven AM when Keiichi woke up, and it took a while to to reach the Furude shrine and wait on line, so he guessed that it was around twelve thirty now. _Two and a half more hours… if Masaru was correct._

He felt pain in his heart. These would be the least two and a half hours he could spend with the two girls that he had grown so attached to over the last few weeks, the two girls he had watch grow and learn. He had been their teacher in that. But at the same time, he had become their greatest friend. He played with them, he taught them, he spent time with them… there were just so many great memories. And Keiichi was sure. Even when they were long gone, he would never forget them.

He placed a hand on Mion's, and then another on Shion's, squeezing them tightly as if to comfort them.

After this, he would only have the Houjou siblings and Rika, which was a good four people down from his amount of friends. It would be a very lonely time.

"Shion!" a voice suddenly cried out, and the girl whose name had been yelled looked up to find Satoko running over to her.

Shion blinked at the yellow-haired girl. "Huh?"

She smiled at the girl. "Come with me. Nii-nii and Rika want to show you something."

She looked over to Keiichi and Mion, who just nodded their heads. The green-haired demon then disappeared off into the distance with the yellow-haired girl, who was explaining something excitedly to her. She knew what was coming to the girl, and it seemed as if she was adorning that kind of attitude just to cheer up the girl, to make her happy in the last hours of her life. It seemed to be working, for there was a very slight smile on Shion's face.

Keiichi and Mion didn't say a word, though his hand was still on top of hers, squeezing it tightly.

He didn't like it. It was too silent, and he knew he had to do something for her, something to make her happy.

"I'm sorry, Mion," was all he could find to say to her.

"No, it's fine," Mion muttered. "It's not your fault…"

Keiichi knew that it wasn't, but he still felt guilt for some reason. He shot her a look, a look full of pain. The girl was wearing a dark expression on her face, one even darker than the one that she would wear when she spoke about how cold the basement she lived in for most of her life was. But, at the same time, it seemed kind of sad to Keiichi. It looked kind of like she was on the verge of tears, only just being able to hold up the dam with the strength she could muster.

"Mion?" he spoke.

"Yes?"

"…Thank you."

She looked at him, confused.

"For what?" she asked.

"Everything," he answered, looking into her confused green eyes. "Just everything that you've ever done for me. I can't even begin to describe how much you've done for me in the time that I've met you." He sighed. "I know it may sound strange to you, but did you know that I was a complete loser before I moved here?" He chuckled darkly at the memory. She didn't answer, so Keiichi continued. "Well, it's true. I was a no one. I had no friend and, really, I didn't care about having friends. All I cared about was doing well in school."

Mion said nothing.

"But one day, I got the taste for adventure," he explained. "So I bought a model gun at the store with the money I got from my parents. I decided that I wanted to be a bad guy and I went around every day after school, shooting little children from the shadows." The memories tasted bitter in his mind, though the adventure that he tasted before was still there, though faded. "I shot many children. I think I had a number, but I either lost count of it or I forgot about it during my time here. In any case, it was my little form of an adventure, a way to escape the boredom my life was."

Once again, the girl was silent.

"But one day, I accidently shot this girl in the eye, and she screamed out in pain. I instantly felt guilt wash over me, and I ran home, reading the guide of the model gun. Right there was a warning, a warning that said not to shoot it in someone's eye or it could cause permanent blindness." He sighed at the thought, wondering where that little girl was now. She was probably cursing him in her mind for taking away her eyesight. "I felt so bad that I told my parents about everything, and they understood. They were disappointed not in me, but in themselves."  
>Mion listened intently though did not make comments.<p>

"So one day, they told me that they found this little old village named Onigafuchi, a village infested by demons. They told that if I wanted an adventure, I would look there. So, we moved there, even though I did not want to." He sighed. "Mion, I was scared of the village. I was scared of demons. Even when I got there, I was scared. Whenever someone would mention demons I would get scared that one of them would jump right out and kill me. I even did research on them." He looked into the girl's eyes, right into her soul. He was trying to read her. "But one day, I saw this old, steel door at my friend Sonozaki Takeru's house. I didn't go in, but I went back the next day and did just that. I wanted to know what a demon looked like, and I figured it was the best way to face my fears."

He took a breath. "You know what I found when I went in there? I found not a ugly, hideous demon with yellow, twisted fangs and blood red eyes, something inhuman. I found a beautiful, young girl with the most wonderful shade of green hair and eyes. She was not something I would call a demon. If I didn't know any better, I'd probably call her a human." He smiled at her. "Then I met her twin sister, who was very much the same. They told me about how they were treated, and I realized that demons were not the evil beings that were told about in the legends. So I came back day after day, sometimes with meat, to feed these demons. There was this one time where the oldest demon played cards with me." He smiled fondly at the memory. "She was very good. I couldn't beat her."

"But then one day, the demons asked me three questions. That was when I realized something. I could not stand there and wait for the demons to get better. I had to do something. So, the next day, I let the demons free and took them with me to my house. There, we did many things. We played outside and I taught them both many games. I also taught them emotions. It was tricky, though. I did not know how to explain what happiness was to them, but I was surprised when they one day explained to me that they knew what it was, and that I didn't have to explain," he continued.

"However, there was this one emotion neither of them could grasp. It was called love. They both called it the warm feeling and got it around each other, and it was something that kept them going when they were still in the basement. I did not know how to explain it to them. I tried many times, but failed." Suddenly, the boy's face twisted into a frown. "And then, one day, a man appeared. He came right into my house and killed my parents, and then we ran into the forest, badly injured from the fight. We ran in random directions. After losing him, I came across one of the demons, but could not find her twin sister. We looked everywhere, but we had to go home in the end. We could not find her."

Mion looked sorrowful at the mention of such a thing, she too recalling such a memory.

"So I went home. The demon tried to sleep, but she couldn't. So she crawled into my futon and hugged me tightly, saying she needed someone by her side. Suddenly, she looked up at me, surprised. She said that I was warm, and that her heart raced whenever she was around me." He clenched his fists as he remembered it. "I knew what that feeing was at once. After all, I was experiencing it to. It was another form of love, a romantic form of love. And that night, I knew. I was in love with her."

"The next day, we went searching for her sister again, but we could not find her. So, we had to leave without her. I decided to go out with a friend of mine, who had contributed quite a bit in taking care of my demon friend, and leave her behind. So when I left, I gave her this bracelet. When I came back, we talked a little about the bracelet and the feelings of love, where I once again failed to explain it. B-but… I did tell her to think about me whenever she saw it, and that warm feeling called love." He looked down at his wrist, where the bracelet still was.

"But one day, when she had finally figured out the meaning of the bracelet and love, the man came back and took her away from me. I looked everywhere for her, but I could not find her." He felt pain well up in his chest as he thought about the memory of searching for the girl everywhere he could, and not being able to find her. "So I had no choice but to go home alone. She had been captured, and I knew it. I didn't know what to do. So I sat there and waited for the man to come to me, for my death. And yes, he did. The next night, ended up… as the sacrifice to the ceremony." He breathed deeply. "And my demon friend had to execute me."

Mion looked down when he mentioned such a thing.

"She was so strong. She stood up to the man who was trying to force her to do such a thing. I admired her for it. But it wasn't enough. He had this orb, The Orb of the Demon Kings, which could control any demon. So he controlled her and made her try to kill me. Thankfully, it was interrupted. However, she ran off into the crowd, ready to kill." He sighed. "I don't know how many she killed by the time I got to her. But… when she saw the bracelet, she snapped out of it. The orb exploded. And that's when… that's when I told her I loved her, and she said the same. T-Then… we kissed. Very briefly." He didn't realize that as he was saying this, he was clutching the girl's hand a little tighter. "And we killed that man together."

"Then we went to the enemy's house and the girl met up with her sister once again, and then finally met her parents. It was very emotional, and… she was so… happy. It was so wonderful to see her reunite with her loving sister and her mother…" He felt a single tear trickle down his face. "The enemy escaped, but we gave him time to think and tracked him down into the forest. H-He _killed_ one of my best friends ever, but we still offered him redemption. B-But he shot himself… and we had no choice but to leave."

"When the war was over, they said something. They would change the name of the village to Hinamizawa, and more than that, they were going to _k-kill_ all the demons. I-including her." He felt a lump of lead grow in his throat, and for some reason, he found it hard to control his breaking up voice. "A-And I became so confused a-and I wanted to save her… b-but it was impossible… and now they're going to k-kill her…" More tears followed this, dripping off his chin and to the rocks below. "A-And now, here I am, saying good bye to the girl I love more than anything else in the world." He clutched her hand, looking down at the ground.

"You know what? Some say that it would be a horrible adventure to have… b-but… but… I'm so _glad_ I had this adventure. Even if my parents died, even if some of my friends died, even if the girl I love and her twin sister died… it was one _hell_ of an adventure." More tears yet. "And you know why? Because I'll always have these memories, even when she's long gone, even when everyone I know has left me. And I'll always know… that… I loved her. No matter how old I am, no matter where I am. Those memories of her… will stick."

This concluded his little tale, and he said nothing more. He was trembling, holding onto the girl's hand tightly. He knew his words were true. He would always have the memory of that girl, even when he was an old man, maybe even with someone else and with new friends. It would always remain in his mind, and he wasn't about to forget or let go. This was why he was glad. It was because of the memories.

The girl grabbed his hand tightly, making the boy looked up into her eyes.

"Kei-chan…" she spoke to him. He looked directly at her, into her green eyes shimmering with tears. "_I don't want to go_…"

Those few words hit hard, like someone threw something heavy right on top of his head. The next thing he knew, he was grabbing onto the girl, holding her tightly into his chest as tears flowed out of his eyes, down onto the girl below him. He could feel salty tears from the girl begin to stain his shirt as she bawled into his chest, holding him tightly, trying to feel that warm feeling.

"I don't understand!" she yelled out. "I don't understand why I have to go! Why are they going to kill me, Kei-chan? Is it because I'm a demon? Is it because I have these horns? But… that shouldn't matter! I'm a human, too! Even if not biologically, I became human because of you!" she cried. "I just met my sister again, and I finally found out who my mother was. A-And I met you, Kei-chan! I fell in love with you! And now they're going to take that all away from me! Why, Kei-chan? Why?"

He held her tightly, now unable to control his own tears. "I'm sorry, Mion. I'm _so _sorry. So… damn… sorry…" The grip he had on her tightened with those words. "It's not fair, it's just not fair. You're human, too. Even if you have those horns… you're still a human in my mind. You shouldn't have to go out like this…"  
>It was too cruel. The girl had just learned about the wonders of the world after spending seventeen years locked up in a basement with nothing but her sister to comfort her. She had met her mother and she had met friends along the way. They were so happy to see her, so happy to meet her. And she was happy, too. But they were going to crush all of that. They were going to take her away from her happiness, away from the people she had met, away from the things that she had learned, just a little bit after obtaining all of it.<p>

"It's not fair, Kei-chan… I want to stay here… with you and my sis, with your friends, with my parents…" she whispered into his chest, the boy just barely being able to pick those words up. "Why are they doing this?"

He shook his head and held her even closer to him. "I don't know, Mion. But all I can say is that I'm sorry…"

Mion said nothing after that, just allowing herself to cry into his chest. He held her there and did the same, savoring the warm feeling he got from holding her. This was the last time he would be able to feel that warm feeling, to experience her so close to him. There were no more days to be shared, no more new, happy memories to make. There were just sorrowful ones, ones of parting and last words.

Their time alone came to an end when Shion appeared once again, and they pulled away from each other, tears still in their eyes. She was standing there, tears also in her eyes. In her hand there was a single flower, one that was very beautiful and of a purple color. He couldn't put a name on what kind of flower it was, but it was a very pretty flower.

"H-Hey, Sis," Mion whispered.

"H-Hey…"

None of them said anything for a little while. Shion just twirled the stem of the flower around in her hand.

"W-Where did you get the flower?" Keiichi finally asked.

She looked down at it, staring at its purple petals. "…Satoshi-kun gave me the flower. I love flowers. Satoshi-kun, Satoko, and Rika-chan would always garden flowers outside, and they taught me many things about flowers. They smell nice and they're pretty." She gently touched a petal. "H-He told me to hold onto the flower during the execution, so I can be happy when I was dying. So I could remember how pretty flowers were… and the times we spent together… a-and…" She couldn't say anything anymore. There were too many tears.

Mion ran up to her sister and embraced her tightly, and the other twin did the same to her sister, though still holding onto the flower as she did so. The two of them did nothing but hold each other for a while, crying in each other's embrace, feeling that warm feeling that kept them alive in the basement for the last time.

Neither twin said anything for the longest time. They just stood there, savoring the last moments that they were alive for. Keiichi was doing the same, just watching the two sisters spend their last day together. It was heartbreaking. Why anyone would be so cruel as to kill them after they had found out who they were, after they had found out what life could really be, was beyond the boy.

**~~~~X~~~~**

About an hour later, everyone in all of Onigafuchi found himself or herself in front of the Furude shrine, staring up at Kimiyoshi Masaru as he stood in front of the crowd. In his hand was a single sword, and behind him was a thick, tall, wooden pole. There were several piles of rope over to the side, on a table. It looked as if the restraining board was not going to be used in this ceremony. He looked nervous as he looked upon everyone, but that was to be expected.

"Hello, and thank you for coming. In the next hours, we will be removing all demons from Onigafuchi by execution. The order will go like this. First, we will have the Kimiyoshi demons go, and then the Furudes, and then the Sonozakis. Then, we'll take care of any demons owned by other members of the village. We have a list of demons and we have checked all of them off that are still alive." Masaru gulped as he looked around. "We'll start from the lowest number and go up from there, though we will skip the head demon. The head demon will be saved for last in their section." He paused for a moment, fidgeting a little. "...They will be tied to the poll and done two at a time, one on either side. We will kill them quickly with this sword. I'll be the one doing the executions…" He gulped. "With that, let's get started."

He looked at his list. "Number Two died, Number Three died, um… we'll start with Kimiyoshi Demons Number Four and Five."

Two demons emerged from the crowd, dragging themselves up the stairs. They looked defeated, like there was nothing else in the world for them to do but accept their deaths. They did not look like they were going to rebel or anything. The two demons were tied up against the pole with a long rope, one on one side and the other on the other side. Masaru gulped as he walked forward with the sword, towards them.

Keiichi turned his head away from the scene before him. He didn't watch as the sword cut through the demons fatally, killing them.

The bodies were removed, and Masaru cleared his throat. "Number Six and Number Eight!" he yelled out.

Once again, the demons who were going up looked defeated. They were accepting their deaths. He did not watch as they died, though. He focused his eyes on the people around him, on their reactions. Rika was standing by her demons, looking very uncomfortable. One of her hands was on Kaede's, a troubled and saddened expression on her face as she held her head demon's hand. They had been rather close. Mion and Shion stood by his side, both of them holding onto his hands but not looking at the executions. They didn't want to see what fate would soon befall them.

There was some chatting during the executions. Not everything was quiet, but no one seemed to care, not even Masaru. There were families standing their with their demons, saying goodbyes to them and last words. Kaede was having a small conversation with Kai, and would sometimes speak words to the demons who were about to go up.

"Number Thirty-Nine, huh? I don't recognize you…" Kaede spoke. "But I do know you, Number Forty. You were bought from the Sonozaki family. You were one of the hunters. Katsumi, was it?"

Number Forty nodded.

"Just remember that." She looked up at the stage. "And I think it's your turn."

"Thank you," Number Forty spoke before turning to go up the stairs with Number Thirty-Nine, who looked a little nervous. It was probably one of the first times that a demon who was about to die displayed an emotion other than complete and utter defeat, obedience plastered within their faces. He looked sort of like he didn't want to go.

"You two, Number Forty-Nine and Number Fifty. I wish you two good luck," Kaede said to the two demons who were preparing to go up on stage.

"Thank you, Kaede. And thank you for speaking to me about the past. It reminded me of the good times," Number Fifty said happily.

She nodded. "Makoto is waiting for you two. Go, it's your turn now."

Number Forty-Nine smiled. "Thank you, and goodbye."

They were actually smiling at each other as they went up to the stage, probably trying to enjoy those last few moments. Keiichi looked over to the two demons on his right and left, clutching their hands a little tighter. He didn't know if the two of them would be able to do that. Shion was looking morosely at the purple flower she was twirling in her free hand, and Mion was looking at the ground.

"All right then." Masaru took a deep breath. "…W-With almost all my demons d-dead…" He seemed shaky about saying that. The Kimiyoshi family was known for their high number of demons and they often took pride in it. "I… have to ask my head demon, Kai, to come on stage…"

Kai turned to Kaede, who simply nodded at him.

"Go on," Kaede encouraged him. "Makoto has been waiting for you for a long time now. You don't want to make her wait anymore."

Kai smiled at her. "Of course. I'll be with my best friend soon. That's why I can leave you with a smile." He paused. "But before I go, I want to thank you for being on my side with the last battle. It was actually very nostalgic, fighting alongside you."  
>"Yes, and I thank you for the same thing," the orange-haired demon responded.<p>

Kai looked at her for one last moment before he went up on stage, not looking sad to be going. He had lived for such a long time, after all. The demon was probably just happy to go and join Makoto and the rest of his fallen demon friends. He did not struggle as he was tied to the pole, and he did not protest as his owner held the sword to his stomach, one that was plastered with the blood of the rest of his fellow demons.

Keiichi wondered how he could be so happy to go. But then again, he was old. He looked over to the demons on his side. They were young and they had just tasted what real life could be. It was for that reason why they could not accept death.

"We'll be moving on, now. Furude demon killing will begin with demons Two and Three."

Rika was trembling and she looked over to two of her demons, nodding to them. She looked upset to see them go. They had served her for such a long time, after all, and it was hard seeing someone you got to know disappear. Even if they weren't very close, it was still rough. The demons wandered up to the stage obediently. They did not protest one bit, just like how some of the demons had been before.

The execution went on, and Keiichi simply watched as Rika and Kaede saw them all off. Mion and Shion were lost in their own thoughts, not speaking a word to anyone or each other.

"Now, if the head demon would please come," Masaru yelled out.

Kaede turned towards Rika, a smile on her face.

"Don't worry. I'll be with the other demons and Makoto." She reached out and patted her master on the head. "So please stop crying."  
>There were indeed tears in Rika's eyes as she stared up at her head demon. She looked about ready to protest her death, but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it at this point.<p>

"You still have your friend," she reminded her.

Then, Kaede turned around to face the stage. She took a deep breath, and then spoke. "I'll be there, Makoto, Kai, Kenji. Shame I have to be the last to go…" With those words, the demon walked right up the wooden steps to her doom, where she too was bound by ropes and positioned with a sword at the stomach. There was also a smile on her face and she shut her eyes, ready to take impact and join her friends.

Keiichi clenched his fists. Kaede was a demon that had told him the truth about demons, and a large contributor in his adventure. It was sad to see her have to go as well, but she was happy. She too was an old demon and was just wanting to join her friends, as she had been the last of the three guards to die.

"All right. Moving on. Sonozaki demons…" He looked at his list and sighed. "Really, there's only two. Oryou killed most of her demons for the same reason I'm killing them all now. Her actions actually gave me the idea." He shook his head. "But now we're going to get off topic. Number Twenty-Seven and Number Twenty-Eight, please come up."

Keiichi took a deep breath as he stared at the two demons, who were slowly beginning to advance forward. But before that could happen, he caught their hands and looked at them straight in the eye as they turned around.

"Mion, Shion," he spoke to them both.

"Yes?" they said in unison.

He took a deep breath. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do. But there was no time.

"I won't forget you two," he told them both.

They smiled sadly at him. "We know, Kei-chan. Thank you. For everything," Shion said to the boy, walking back over to him and grabbing his hand. She was smiling, but yet, there were tears in her eyes.

"Same," Mion replied, going up to the boy and taking one of his hands in hers. "Thank you for everything you've ever done for us. For releasing us, for teaching us about emotions, for teaching us games, for showing us our family." She smiled weakly at the brown-haired boy, grasping his hand a little tighter. "Thank you."

Keiichi could feel salty tears drifting down his face, and he nodded. He looked over to Shion, who was holding the purple flower in her hand and staring at it. Slowly, he reached for the bracelet on his wrist and slid it off. He slid it on Mion's arm slowly, smiling sadly at her.

"Look at this when you die. A-And… remember what that warm feeling is. What it means. And remember me… and all the times we spent together," he told her.

Mion looked at the bracelet curiously. It was the bracelet that taught her about love, about what emotions were. It was the bracelet that had snapped her out of her mind-controlled state and to her true self. "Of course I will," she whispered as she drew her eyes away from the bracelet to take a look. "I'll remember everything."

"And Mion? Shion?" he asked.

They blinked at him.

"Yes?" they asked.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?" Mion asked.

"For the adventure," he finished.

The two of them simply smiled at him. It had been one big adventure that they shared together, and Keiichi knew it was something he would remember. They just nodded at him when he spoke those words. They were smiling, and yet, there were still tears.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside them. Keiichi turned around to look, and when he did, he met the tearful gaze of Sonozaki Akane.

"Mom…" Mion whispered when she saw her.

Akane looked at her daughters with eyes filled with tears yet to be shed, though it was likely they would not remain unshed for very long.

"I wanted to say goodbye," she told them both.

Shion nodded. "Goodbye, Mom."

"Goodbye, Mom," Mion said as well.

Akane nodded. "Goodbye… and thank you for letting me know you two, even if it was for only a short period of time. I'm glad that I… finally got to meet my little twins…"

The two of them stared at her, looking tearfully at their mother. They had only just met her, but they surely felt a strong bond with her, just because of the fact that she was their mother. They had begun to recognize her as such.

"Number Twenty-Seven, Number Twenty-Eight?" called Masaru. "Please come up! We're waiting!"

Mion turned towards Keiichi, looking deeply into his blue eyes. She nodded at him, knowing that it was the last time that the two of them would see each other. Slowly, she walked over to him, placing her face close to his. Keiichi felt her lips gently touch his, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently for the last time. It only lasted a few moments, but to him, it felt like it lasted years.

She pulled apart, nodding to him with a tear filled gaze.

"Goodbye, Kei-chan. I love you…" she whispered.

"G-Goodbye, Mion. I-I love you, too…" he whispered back to her.

Shion looked towards the boy. "Goodbye," was all that she could say before she turned around with her sister. The two twins looked at each other and nodded. They had said all the words that they needed to say. The two of them looked at Keiichi and their mother for the last time, only a few seconds, and then they walked down through the crowd, and to the wooden steps.

"So..." Akane whispered. "That's the kind of relationship you had with her…"

Keiichi nodded. "Yeah," he whispered back. "It… was…"

The twins were then tied up to the poll, Shion still clutching the flower in her hand and Mion looking at the bracelet. There were tears in their eyes as they did so, knowing that it would be their last moments alive. They wanted to savor that feeling in their heart, letting it be the last thing they saw and felt before they left forever.

Keiichi watched with tears streaking down his face. This was the end. The last time he would see their beautiful faces again. Those were the faces of the people who had shared this adventure with him, the ones who had perhaps created the adventure. He would have never had this adventure if he didn't meet them that day, under the ground in the cold, lonely Sonozaki basement. It was because of them that he had become a better person, and because of them he had spent his life doing something rather than homework.

"You know," Akane whispered to him. "I wish I knew them a little more. I mean, I met them a day ago… but I didn't really get to know the type of people they were." She was shaking. "I-I'm sure that you can tell me all about it."  
>He watched as Masaru advanced towards them with the sword in his hand. He took a deep breath as he looked at them, nodding to himself.<p>

This was it. This was the last moments that they would spend alive, the last moments that the people he had spent an adventure with him would be on this earth. They would soon be gone, to be forgotten about by most people. But he knew that he wouldn't forget about them. They were people who had changed his life, and there was no way he would let go of the memory, no matter how painful it would be in the coming years.

Images flashed through his mind. He thought about the time where he had first seen them in the basement, and then the time where they had played cards. He thought about the time they had escaped and gained names, and how excited they had been to see the outside for the first time in their lives. He thought about the time they had played tag and how they had won with their trickster tactics, and then the time they had played _Clue _and how Mion, being the competitive person she was, managed to come up with a strategy to beat him the first time she had ever played it_._ There had been so many fun moments he had spent with them. It was not just fun moments that were rushing through his mind, though. There were sad memories, too, like how heartbroken Mion had been when they were separated. But to contrast that, there were warm memories. Like the time Mion and him held each other as they slept, or the time where they figured out their feelings for each other.

He looked over to Akane. They had just figured out who they were and met their family, and now they were being ripped right away from her. There were tears streaking down her face. She had really wanted to know what type of people her daughters were. She had only known them for one day, and yet, it was enough to make her happy. She had finally met her little twins, the twins she would spend every day thinking about. But fate was cruel, and had to take them away after a single day.

He had only known them for a few weeks, too. He got to know them well in those weeks, but he realized that he really wanted to spend more time with them. They could play more games and have fun outside, with Mion coming up with more strategies to beat him. Actually, he really wanted to beat her at just one game. He had never won one, after all. Was that too much to ask? Just another game? But his heart was telling him he wanted more than that. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with them at his side. He didn't just want these memories. He wanted _them._

Did it really have to end now?

And as Keiichi thought that question, an answer popped in his mind almost immediately.

No. It did not. No, in fact, _it couldn't end here._

The next thing the boy knew, he was running towards the stage with speed that would make a cheetah growl in jealousy. He was pushing through the crowd, running up those wooden stairs like there was nothing else in the world he needed to do more. Without thinking, the boy found himself standing right in front of one of the twins, the twin who was about to get killed by the sword that was about to be placed in front of her.

"STOP!" he yelled out so loudly and with such ferocity that he wondered if it was really him speaking.

Masaru looked horribly surprised as he stared at the boy in front of him, who was wearing a face with such great determination that it scared him.

"What in the world do you think you're doing, Maebara Keiichi?" he questioned.

"Don't kill them!" he yelled out. "No, in fact, I won't let you kill them!"

Masaru gritted his teeth. "Maebara Keiichi, move out of the way. I discussed this with you earlier. All demons have to be executed so that we can become Hinamizawa and not Onigafuchi. We cannot allow another incident like the one before to happen again!" he yelled out.

"Why?" he yelled out. "Why is it nessesary to kill all the demons? Because you want a peaceful land without demons?" he questioned. "Well yes, we do want a peaceful land, but why without all demons? ! Why do we have to get rid of them all? ! Listen, I know why you need to get rid of the demons. To avoid what happened before. And why did it happen before? Yes, because the demons were too willing to listen to what Takeru had to say! They had no right to say no to his orders!" He turned towards the twin that was tied up behind him. "But this demon here and her sister are different!"

Masaru was scowling. "I told you, all demons need to be—"

"Listen!" he yelled. "These two demons are different! I took them away and taught them things, and now you can basically call them human! They will not listen to people's orders and they would certainly never hurt an innocent person!" He narrowed his eyes at the man before him as he spoke these words, challenging him. "The only reason why they hurt someone before was because Mion was under control of The Orb of the Demon Kings, which has been shattered! She would never do such a thing if weren't for that. And she never will, because the orb was shattered!" He took a deep breath, just letting the words flow out naturally. He just hoped that it was enough to convince him. "You saw Mion on the stage during the Watanagashi! She refused to kill me. She disobeyed orders! If she can do that, then there's no way that she would listen to an order to kill innocent people! Shion's the same way." He took a deep breath. "They're human, too! So let them live!"

Everything was completely silent. Masaru looked around nervously, to the crowd and then to Keiichi and the twins. He gulped.

"As I said, Keiichi-san, we cannot—"

"But what if they don't listen to orders?" he yelled out. "Your whole reason for killing them all is because they listen to orders too easily! These two don't! You have no reason to kill them! If you do kill them, then you're just a worthless murderer who doesn't understand people! I knew someone who understood people no matter what, and she could look deep into their hearts and see the good in people. Can't you do the same? Can't you too see that these demons are not evil, but good?"

Masaru looked very taken aback, and he was hesitating. He looked scared now that he had brought up the accusation of him being a worthless murderer for killing demons who understood humans. The man said nothing for a while, and the crowd was completely silent.

"…You, Maebara Keiichi, are the strangest man I have ever met," he sighed. The man walked by him, and much to Keiichi's delight, undid the rope binding the twins. "This is the only exception I'm making. If you dare try to prevent any other demons from dying, then I will execute you for going against the leader of the village. Do you understand?"

He nodded eagerly. "Of course!" he yelled out. Even if it meant the rest of the demons had to go, he had saved Mion and Shion, and that was enough for him.

Masaru sighed as the rope became fully undone. The twins quickly ran over to Keiichi, their eyes widened with delight as they stared at him.

"Kei-chan!" cried Mion.

"Hey, you two," he said, a silly grin on his face, which was still a little red from crying before.

Masaru glared at them. "Get off the stage! We need to continue onwards!" he yelled at them.

Keiichi looked startled. "Y-Yeah!" he cried out as he looked towards the twins, who quickly nodded. They ran off the stage in a hurry, back within the crowd.

He smiled as they reached the spot that they were standing in before. He had managed to save them. Akane burst out in tears as she hugged her daughters, who accepted it happily. They looked very happy to be back in the safety of their mother and their friends. There would be no death for them today. It would have to wait. He smiled at the scene before him, finding it rather touching but a little embarrassing to watch.

"Hi, Mom," Mion said. "I'm back."

"Oh thank god…" she whispered as she held them.

Shion was still holding onto that purple flower as she hugged her mother. She just didn't want to let it go even now, it seemed. The shock of almost dying was still there.

Suddenly, a group of people came running over to them, causing the twins to break away from their mother's embrace and look over to them. "Shion, Mion, Keiichi!" yelled Rika as she stopped right in front of them.

"Guys!" cried Keiichi, recognizing the three people as the Houjou siblings and Rika. Satoko had some tears in her eyes, and when she saw Shion, she instantly ran over to her and hugged her tightly, sobbing into her stomach.

"Shion-san!" she cried. "I thought you were really going to die!"

Shion smiled down at the yellow-haired girl, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm fine now, Satoko. It's okay."

Satoshi put a hand on Shion's shoulder, smiling at the girl. "We're both glad you're all right. Keiichi was very brave to break in like that."

Keiichi rubbed the back of his head. He actually had had no idea what he was doing when he broke in the ceremony. Something just ignited within him and he found himself running up there. He was very glad that such a thing had happened, though. If it hadn't, the twins would really be dead by now.

"I'm not too surprised," Rika said. "Mii, I mean, I was surprised when it happened, but after it did I realized that it was just like our Keiichi to do that! He deserves a round of applause! Clap clap clap!" she cried out loud as she clapped her hands together, smiling cutely as she did so.

Mion smiled as she looked over towards Keiichi. "I'm glad that Kei-chan managed to do it, too. I was very surprised when he jumped in front of me like that. I was going to be a goner in five seconds!" she cried out. She was still trembling from the incident, and for a very good reason, too.

Keiichi turned around to her, grinning. "I didn't know what I was doing, to be honest, but I'm glad I did!"  
>"Me too!" cried Satoko. "I never want Shion-san to leave. Never!" She grabbed Shion's arm and held it protectively by her side.<p>

Shion smiled. "I'm here to stay from now on, Satoko," she said to her.

"Where are you going to stay now?" Satoko asked the older girl. Her face was still red, and her eyes were glimmering with a few tears, but her voice had mostly returned to normal. "I-I don't think at our house, but c-could you please come and visit some time? We can teach you how to take care of the flowers and you can work on taking care of them with Rika, Nii-Nii, and I!" She turned towards her brother, a small smirk on her face. "I'm sure that Nii-Nii will really _love_ having her there!"

Satoshi 's face turned red.

"Of course," Shion responded. "I'd love to take care of the flowers with you! I don't know where I'll be staying, though."

Suddenly, a voice unlike anyone else's burst through the current conversation. "About the matter…" It was Oryou, much to everyone's surprise. She was staring at her granddaughters wearing her usual unreadable, gruff look. "The two of them will be moving into the Sonozaki Manor and they will live there." She looked at Mion. "I don't have a heir anymore, so as the oldest, Mion will take Takeru's position and become heiress as she rightfully is." She narrowed her eyes. "Training begins tomorrow. I hope you are ready."

Mion looked startled. "Uh…"

"Mother," came Akane's angry voice. "Why in the world did you agree to killing all the demons when you knew it included the two of them?"

Oryou sighed. "What was I supposed to say? Besides, I was going to go intervene if this boy had not." She stared at Keiichi.

Mion blinked. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" cried Oryou, annoyance in her voice. "I know I tried killing you about three times but seeing someone kill you did not settle well with me. Besides, I needed a heiress and you are the only one available." The old woman grumbled. "Whatever, come here, Mion, Shion."

The two of them blinked at each other, but they went ahead and walked towards the old woman.

"Turn around and bend over," she ordered them.

They did as they were told, not wanting to argue with the old woman.

Oryou suddenly pulled out a golden key, and Keiichi was about to ask what it was for, though he didn't have time. The old woman inserted the key into the lock in the back of Mion's collar and twisted it, and the collar opened and fell off. She then proceeded to do the same to Shion, and then collected the fallen collars.

"You are now officially Sonozaki Mion and Sonozaki Shion," she told them both. "Forget about the silly numbers and being demons of the Sonozaki family. While there is no method known to turn a demon into a human we can easily try to forget about the whole species matter." She looked at her granddaughters. "I am sure I can find a big enough hat to hide those horns of yours in public. While I can easily ignore them and so can your friends, it will not be the same to many villagers and it is best we keep them hidden."

Mion turned to her grandmother, a huge smile on her face. "Thank you, Mas— I mean, Grandmother!" she cried out.

"Yes, yes," grumbled Oryou. "You're welcome."

The old woman began to go to talk to her daughter, but as she did so, the group of children began to chat with each other excitedly.

"This is great!" cried Satoko. "Now I have two more friends! Which means… two more people to test traps on." There was a mischievous smirk on her face as she stared at the twins. "Ohohohohoho! Do you think that you two can keep up with Trap Master Satoko?" she asked.

"I wouldn't say that," Keiichi intervened. "Mion here is the greatest stagiest I have ever met and she's wonderful at games! I'd be asking if _you_ could keep up with _her_, Satoko."

Satoko placed her hands on her hips as she stared challengingly at Mion. "Well then, we'll just have to see how that works out tomorrow morning when I set up the biggest trap I've ever—"

"Satoko, you just gave yourself away," Rika sighed.

Satoko wore a look of surprise on her face. "Oh no, you're right! Now I need to think of something else…"

Everyone laughed at her childish behavior.

"Well, I'm pretty good at cards myself," Satoshi said. "I want to play with Mion sometime."

Mion smirked. "Well, we'll see if you can beat me. This demon here is—" she paused, scratching her head. "I guess 'this demon here' doesn't work anymore, since I'm not technically a demon anymore…"

Shion shrugged. "What else are you going to call yourself? An old man?" she joked.

Mion laughed at her sister. "I think I'll do just that! Well then, this old man is the best at cards, ever! I don't know if you can beat me."

Shion sighed. "It was a joke, sis."

Mion waved her hand dismissively. "Hey, I need some new catchphrase, don't I?"

"Well, whatever the case is, I can't wait to start playing with you, Mion!" laughed Satoshi. "And I can't wait to start gardening with Shion, and I can't wait to return to the happy days!"

Keiichi sighed. It wasn't going to be that easy. "Takeru and Rena…" he brought up.

Suddenly, the mood turned quite solemn. No one said a word.

"W-Well, I think Rena would want us to have fun, even without her," Keiichi said to lighten up the atmosphere. It was true, though. Rena would not want everyone to stay in the dark for the rest of his or her life because of her death. She was probably watching them now, wanting the best for them and wanting them to go on and have fun, even without her. "I think we need to respect what she would want. As for Takeru…" He sighed.

"Just forget about those dark things he did. I know it's hard, but I think he wants us to have fun, too," Keiichi spoke. "In fact, if he were here, he would probably be teasing me and Satoshi about finding girlfriends or something like that! So let's lighten up and have fun for them, like how they would want us to."

Satoko smirked. "Speaking of girlfriends…" she stared at her brother and the younger Sonozaki twin. "Hm… yes. I think it would work out nicely!"

Satoshi blushed. "It's not like that!" he cried out.

Shion looked confused as to what they were talking about.

"On the other hand, we have Mion and Keiichi," Rika brought up as she looked to the two of them. "I saw them kissing."

Everyone gasped.

"Ooh, Mion and Keiichi sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S…" Satoko began to sing, only to be silenced by Satoshi placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking his head.

Keiichi laughed nervously. "Ahaha, well it's fine, Satoshi. It's kind of like that with us," he admitted.

"Really?" cried Satoko.

Mion nodded her head. "Ahaha… yeah."

Satoko flustered red and looked at the ground. It appeared that she enjoyed teasing, but when an actual relationship was brought up she became heavily embarrassed. Rika let out a sigh as she patted her best friend on the back.

"Well, anyways, I wish for the best for you and Mion!" Rika said. "Now that everything is happy again, you two can spend all your lives together!"

Keiichi laughed. It was true. Now that that obstacle was out of the way, they could spend the rest of their lives together in happiness. Just thinking about this made him reach out to Mion and grasp onto her hand tightly. "Well, yes. We're planning on doing that," he spoke. "But that's not just it! We're planning on spending the rest of our lives having fun with all of you! Now that we're all happy again, we can forget about all of this and live our lives on as happy friends!" He turned towards Mion and Shion. "And I'm sure you're all willing to let these two into our little group."

"Of course!" cried Rika.

"Definitely," Satoko added.

"I'd love to have more friends," Satoshi said with a smile.

Mion and Shion looked around, a little hesitant.

"Ah, you mean it?" Mion asked.

"Yup!" Satoko cried out. "As I said before, more friends means more people to trap test on. And, well…" she smiled. "Just more friends in general."

Satoshi patted his sister on the back, complimenting her silently for saying something so nice and sweet to the two girls rather than commenting on how she was going to trap them.

"Even if we're demons?" Shion asked.

Satoshi nudged the girl. "Oh, you're not anymore, remember? You're human now."

Shion blinked. "Oh, yes."

While they were biologically still demons, what remained was the fact that they had become human in a sense, and that was how everyone was going to view them. Their group of friends was so tightly knit that they could ignore the horns on top of their heads and just shake it off like it was nothing, saying that they were completely human. They would forget about that aspect, and they could move on and become very happy without it.

"So…" Mion said. "When does it start?"

"When does what start?" Keiichi asked her.

"When does the whole happy friend thing start?" she clarified.

Such a question caused the boy to laugh, much to her surprise. It seemed as if there were a few things that she didn't get, but time would fix all of that. "Oh Mion, 'When does it start.' It already started!" he cried out.

She blinked in confusion. "Huh? When?" she asked.

"Right now!" he explained. "They accepted you as their friends, and so, it's started!" He gestured towards the group of friends, who were all smiling at her.

She sighed and placed her hands on her hips as she stared at them. "Well, I wasn't aware that it had started, so can we start over?" she asked.

"Eh?" he asked.

"Yeah. Let's start over so that this old man knows that it's a beginning so that she can start out these days with a bang!" She laughed loudly as she said that. "Like…" she turned towards the boy, gently touching him on the arm. He was confused until he looked deep into the girl's green eyes, which were full of its usual mischief. "Tag! You're it!" she yelled out.

"Huh?" Keiichi cried out in confusion. "What do you mean by 'tag?' We aren't playing tag!"

"Well now we are! Catch me if you can, Kei-chan!" yelled Mion as she dashed further into the crowd, disappearing amongst the masses of people.

"Hey, come back here!" he yelled out. "This is an execution! We can't just leave and play tag like that!"

However, much to his surprise, the others began to run away as well, deeper into the crowd.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Where do you think you're going? !"

Shion turned around as she was about to leave, smiling at him. "Who cares about the execution? No one will notice if we leave. And besides, shouldn't you be more concerned about catching sis? You want to beat her at a game, don't you?" she pointed out. With that, the girl ran off into the crowd, following her new friends out of the execution area.

A fire ignited in his soul as soon as she spoke those words. Oh yes, he was looking forward to beating Mion! "Oh you Mion, I'm going to catch you!" he declared as he ran into the crowd, trying to find the group that had run off. He pushed his way out of the crowd and found himself running down the pathways of Onigafuchi, leading away from the execution area. They were now running around in a grassy spot, staring at him with a look of expectance on their faces.

He smirked as he saw them. They were waiting for him to catch them, huh? Well then, he was going to catch them!

They yelled out as he ran at them. However, the first thing he did was grab Mion by the shoulder, surprising the poor girl.

"You're it now, Mion!" he declared.

"Not for long!" she yelled back. "This old man is going to catch you!"

He laughed at her as he ran from her. Yes, this was the ending he had been hoping for. Mion and Shion were alive, and they had returned to their days of being happy. While Rena and Takeru were gone now, they knew that they had to move on for their sake. They would be wanting them to do such a thing. And Keiichi was one to respect people's wishes.

"It!" cried Mion as she tagged Keiichi.

"No, it's you!" cried Keiichi as he tagged her back right away.

"You!" cried Mion, tagging him.

"You!"

"You!"

"You!"

The two of them burst out into laughter as this kept going on and on, realizing that they weren't going to make any progress. They laughed so hard that the two of them could barely stand up, resulting in Mion falling back on the ground, hooting with laughter. Keiichi did the same, falling back into the meadow with his body right next to hers.

They laughed for what seemed like ages, until Mion stopped and put a hand on his.

"It," she said, a smile on her face.

Keiichi smiled at her. "All right, you win that one. But you know what? The game is still going. And even if I lose this one, there will be many more to play!" he yelled.

Mion laughed. "Of course! We'll spend the rest of our days happy, right?" she asked, turning to look at him with happiness gleaming in her green eyes. "There will be no more people trying to control me, and there will be no more returning to that cold basement. And most of all, there won't be any more death. Right, Kei-chan? We can be happy from now on, right?"

Keiichi stared at her, and nodded. Yes, all of these things would be true. The rest of their days would be spent by playing around and being happy, and there would certainly be no more returning to that basement. Most of all, no one would die until they grew old and it was their time to go. There would be no more early death. All there would be were positive, emotions living, and just pure happiness.

"Right," he said.

That was right. While his adventure full of death and darkness had ended, there was still another kind of adventure that was waiting for him. It was one that he had been hoping for, one above ones consisting of pretending to be the villain by shooting people with model guns and trying to stop a plan that would kill the village. The next adventure waiting for him was a happy one. It would be one that he would spend the rest of his life within.

"Let's go, Mion," he said to her.

Mion blinked at him. "Huh?"

"To our next adventure," he said

She smiled at him, nodding determinedly. "Yes!"

"Together," he added on.

"Yes," Mion responded, reaching out for the boy's hand, which she then squeezed tightly. "Together."

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2**

**Oh...**

**...My...**

**God.**

**I can't believe it's over! BFB is really over. Yes, there is still the epilogue; but there goes the main story! Oh my god. I can't believe that it's over. Did I already say that? Yes I did? Oh my god. I'm sorry, I need to calm down. Finishing a story is something that is very, very, very exciting, and also a little bit sad. I am very sad that there is nothing more to write of this lovely story aside from the epilogue. Really, this whole story has been wonderful and I enjoyed writing it. It is going to be very hard to end it the next chapter but all good things have to come to an end eventually, and that includes this. I-I mean it was good, right? I did well, right? I think I did better than I did with GED. There was definitely some improvement that I can sense in it, which is rare for me, who can barely judge herself. I think so, anyways. Huh.**

**Thank you all for sticking with me this far into the series! I will give thank yous and such in the epilogue, and it will be then that I will ask for you to review with a whole story review. No, not this chapter. Next one. Why? Because last time I asked for it and no one actually commented on the content of the last chapter, which was kind of… sad. The ending is something I need comments on and as such, I will ask for that later. Please hold it until then. I'm sure you can.**

**I have nothing more to say here. I am satisfied with this ending and I hope you are too. Stick around; we have the epilogue coming up!**

**Oh, and Happy New Year! It's still New Year's Eve, but I can say that, yes?**

**~Crimso**


	41. Epilogue

**Crimso's Notes:**

**It's time. It's time for me to write this epilogue and get this fanfiction done with. It's been a long ride, but I'm glad that you have managed to stick with me to the end. Today is the last day of Winter Break so I found it appropriate to write this up now so I can leave the gap in which no writing is done for the time I get back, which will probably be homework overload.**

**Note: This, naturally, takes place a few years later. In this case, it is twelve years later.**

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Epilogue**

Lunch was normally a very loud time at the school in Hinamizawa, and this day was no exception. The teacher would simply sigh during this time and lean back in her chair, ignoring her students and eating her lunch as she tried to block out the sound as best as she could. Once again, it was no exception today. Yes, it was indeed just an ordinary lunch period, with children shouting and chatting excitedly to each other.

"Man, did you see that giant car outside of the school today?" a young boy asked his friend. "It was huge! I have never seen anything like it!"

His friend laughed. "You know, Hikaru, I think it's from the city or something similar to that! I don't usually go to Okinomiya. I wonder if there are usually big cars there," she said as she leaned back in her chair, having finished her lunch a little while before. With nothing to do, she found herself chatting happily to her friend.

The boy, Hikaru, nodded. "I know! I don't go to Okinomiya either. I think there are a lot of cool things there. My mom took me shopping once, but that's about it." He let out a large sigh. "Man, I wish I lived in Okinomiya! Hinamizawa is sooo boring!"

The young girl shrugged. "I kind of like it here. It's nice and peaceful and there is never anything bad happening around here! I hear stories about the scary criminals who wander around Okinomiya at night." She paused and narrowed her eyes as her friend listened eagerly. "They creep around the city, waiting. And then… they get right behind you. And when you least expect it…" She paused. "They steal your stuff!" she yelled out dramatically.

The young boy gasped. "Now I don't want to go to Okinomiya! Thank you for spoiling it, Chika!" he complained.

The girl, Chika, frowned. "Hey, I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

She frowned. "Well Hinamizawa is still nice! No murder, no nothing. It's all peaceful and it's beautiful!" she cried out.

The boy did not look convinced, though. He looked around the classroom carefully, and then he got up from his seat and leaned forward, so that his mouth was right in front of the girl's ear. "That is… if you forget about the _rumors…_" he whispered.

The girl's eyes widened. "You mean… the one about… the demons?"

He nodded. "It is said that once, this place was haunted by demons. They would slaughter humans mercilessly and did all these bad things! Then one day, a strong man appeared and he killed all the demons!" she whispered. "But you know how the rumor goes. The demons may not actually be dead!"

"I-Is it true, though? Are the demons really still alive?" she whispered back.

He shook his head. "No one knows, Chika. But…"

"But what?" she whispered.

"…You know the Sonozaki head? How she always wears that hat? Well, some people say that under it is a pair of horns, and that she's really a demon!" he whispered into her ear, though quite loudly. Had someone been paying attention to the two of them, they probably would have easily heard that.

She gasped. "Oh my god! But is it true?"

"I don't know," Hikaru said. "But there's only one way to find out…"

"You shouldn't…" Chika spoke.

Hikaru stood up straight, smiling at her. "Watch." The boy turned around and began to walk off, much to the girl's dismay. She sighed and shook her head and watched as the boy stood in behind one of his classmates, who was currently talking happily to a group of friends. He turned around to face Chika once, nodded, and then turned back towards the classmate.

"Hey, Asami!" he yelled loudly, causing her to turn around instantly.

The girl blinked in surprise. "Y-Yeah?"

"Is it true?" he asked her.

"Is what true?" she spoke, cluelessness in her eyes.

He smirked at her. "Is it true that your mom is a demon, and that under the hat she has a pair of horns?" he asked her.

The girl looked completely surprised by this question, and once that washed away, she just looked plain angry. If the boy had to be honest, it scared him. "No!" she bellowed out right away, loud enough to break through the atmosphere of the classroom. "My mom isn't a demon and she does NOT have horns under her hat! I wish everyone in the class would stop asking about it!" She looked very upset. It seemed like she got this question a lot from her fellow classmates, and she was very annoyed about it.

Hikaru blinked, stunned.

Chika sighed and shook her head. "I knew he shouldn't have," she whispered under breath.

"Sonozaki-san, please lower the volume of your voice," sighed the teacher.

The green-haired girl turned towards the teacher, looking at her with upset blue eyes. "Sensei! He just asked if my mom was a demon!" she cried out.

The teacher stood up and walked towards him. "Katou-san, you know that Sonozaki-san gets mad when people ask that question, and that is a very rude question to ask," she began to lecture him. "So please think about your words and actions more carefully next time. I want you to apologize to Sonozaki-san right away."

Hikaru looked down at his feet, ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry, Asami," he grumbled.

Asami nodded her head. "It's okay. Never again, please," she replied as she turned back to her group of friends, who were all wearing a stunned look on their faces as they looked at the green-haired girl. They all knew that she reacted badly to such a question but never before had they seen her that angry when someone brought it up.

Hikaru felt terrible as he walked back to his desk, sitting down across from Chika. He didn't know what to say to her. Should he admit that it was wrong for him to go over and ask? He had just been curious, though. Was it really that bad of him?

However, before he could speak Chika did.

"I told you so."

**~~~~X~~~~**

Asami sighed as she walked down the paths of Hinamizawa. She swore, she could not spend one day without someone talking about the rumors involving her mother being a demon. She was usually talkative on the way back to school, but today, she just didn't feel like talking to anyone, not even her friends. She was just sick and tired of those questions, of someone going up to her and asking why her mother wore a hat like that when it wasn't considered usual for a leader to do so.

"Hey, Asami, you're kind of down today," one of her friends pointed out.

Asami only nodded at her.

"Well I don't think the head of the Sonozaki family is a demon," she spoke. "I just think that she just likes wearing hats." She paused for a few moments, waiting for her friend to respond. When she didn't, she began to speak once again. "You know what? I like hats. Hats are fun to wear because there are many kinds of hats. There are the serious ones and then there are the silly ones, and then there are the kind of hats that are colorful and the kind that are only one color. You know what I mean? Hats are fun and I don't think there is anything wrong with wearing a hat."

Asami knew that her friend was trying to cheer her up, but for some reason, she just wasn't in the mood. Besides, it was her time to go, anyways.

"Thanks for helping me." She sighed as she looked over to her side. "But I have to go now."

Her friend frowned. "Aw, do you have to?" she complained.

The green-haired girl simply nodded.

"Well then, see you tomorrow at school!" cried her friend.

"Yeah, bye," she responded.

Asami watched as her friend disappeared into the distance, and then wandered further down the paths of Hinamizawa. She let out another sigh as she kicked a stray pebble sitting in the middle of the road, which tumbled and rolled forward in the dust. She kicked it again as she got to it, which caused it to do the same thing as before. She repeated this action over and over again until she got to her house, then opening up the gate and traveling down the pathway through the garden.

She opened the door to her house and wandered down the hallway until she reached her room, dropping her bag off and then laying back on the futon, tired. There was never much to do after school aside from play with friends, and really, she wasn't in the mood for that right now.

Asami buried her nails into the sheet of her futon, which quickly turned into claws and practically began ripping at the fabric. She hated it whenever someone brought up the rumor about her mother being a demon, because she knew the truth and why she wore that knew that it hurt her mother when people outside the village asked about such a thing, and she _hated_ seeing her mother hurt.

The door to her room slid open. She didn't have to guess who it was.

"…Mommy," she mumbled.

Before her was Sonozaki Mion, her mother, staring down at her daughter. She instantly noticed the look on her face, causing her to become rather surprised. She sighed as she sat down next to her daughter.

"Hello, Asami. Did something happen?" she asked her.

"Stupid Katou Hikaru being his normal self again!" yelled Asami. "Why do they keep asking me what's under your hat?"

Mion stiffened at the mention of such a thing. She too was rather sensitive about the topic, for a good reason, though. She reached out and patted her daughter on the head, knowing that such an action comforted her. "It's okay, Asami. You don't need to be worried about them finding out or anything like that. They're just rumors and no one will ever know unless they forcefully snatch the hat away from me. And besides, we're Sonozakis. He wouldn't dare snatch my hat or anything like that, and if he did, we could punish him." She looked down at her daughter, who didn't seem too convinced.

Her daughter grabbed her hat off her head, revealing two, shiny white horns. The rumors were true. Mion really was a demon and did hide her horns under her hat, but the reason why she did so was because she hardly considered herself a demon anymore. Asami had heard stories about her mother's past before and knew that she used to be an unnamed demon, and that she was proclaimed a technical human after they executed every demon in Hinamizawa, or Onigafuchi as it was known at the time, along with her mother's twin sister. Her aunt had horns and wore a hat too, but she wasn't as talked about as she wasn't the head and wasn't as well known.

"I'm going to have to do the same some day, Mommy! They'll find out!" spoke Asami.

Mion looked at her daughter. "…Asami, open up your mouth," she ordered her.

Confused, the girl opened up her mouth. Mion stared into it, at her daughter's fangs. They were rather small, as she was still young, and she knew that her daughter took a lot of effort not to show them when she was talking. No one would notice, though, if she were to open her mouth too wide. At this stage in life, they may just think that she has abnormally long teeth.

"Claws," she said.

Her daughter stuck out her hands, and Mion watched as her nails changed into sharp claws. They were rather small, but they were sharp and could easily cut and hurt.

She sighed. "It's fine, Asami. Don't worry too much about it. Careful with your fangs and don't unsheathe your claws. You'll be fine." She patted her daughter on the head once again, trying to comfort her.

Asami looked unconvinced. "But when I'm older, I'm going to have horns!" she protested.

Mion frowned. Her daughter was often considered about such a matter, and it was rather appropriate of her, she had to admit. "I don't think they'll be very large, Asami. Remember that you're technically only half-demon, so I think that the horns, the claws, and the fangs won't be too long compared to mine. I only got my horns when I was seventeen so you have a while to go."

Asami did not look convinced.

"I'm still a demon," she complained.

"Half-demon," Mion corrected. "So I wouldn't worry about it at all. Daddy is a human so his blood should stop all that. It's not like we're living back in 1983 or anything… you won't get locked up."

Mion shuddered at the thought of such a thing. She still remembered the years of her life she spent in the basement, and in truth, she had spent more years in the basement than out, even at this point in her life. It was close, but still. Her daughter had nothing to worry about, but she noted that she would still get concerned about such things anyways. Sighing, she took her hat back and adjusted it on her head so that her horns were completely covered, and then stood up.

"Daddy is lucky…" mumbled Asami.

"I know how you feel, Asami. But don't worry, all right?" Mion said with a smile on her face. "I'm sure everything is going to be all right for you."

The half-demon just nodded her head.

"Come here," she told her daughter.

Her daughter stood up and went up to her mother.

Mion wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace to comfort the girl. It helped quite a bit, as she could feel her daughter relax in her embrace. She hoped that the warm feeling that she got from this could heal her, much like it did when she was a little girl, trapped in the basement with no one but her twin sister to heal her. She held her there for quite a long time until she felt that her daughter was better, then pulling away.

She looked at her straight in the eye.

"I've forgotten about being a demon, mostly. You should do the same. You're human, not half-demon," she told her daughter softly. "Got it?"  
>Asami nodded her head, this time a sure look on her face. "Yes, Mommy… thank you… I love you."<p>

Mion smiled back at her daughter. "You are welcome, and I love you, too."

**~~~~X~~~~**

Mion sighed as she lay on her futon, thinking about all that was going on around her. She was the current head at the moment, Oryou having passed away a few years before. It was a lot of work for her, but she had studied it properly and knew what exactly to do quite well, so it wasn't too much for the girl. She still had a lot of work to do, though, and the rumors going around about the horns didn't help. Of course, many, many, many people knew that it was true, that she did have horns. No one ever spoke of it, though, because they knew that she was considered human now. The ones who did not know were young ones, newcomers, outsiders, and people who just weren't paying attention at both executions (which was hardly anyone). The number of people who knew was higher than the ones that did not, but they all made an effort to let no one know that did not know.

Her daughter, Asami, was rather soft about the whole matter, too. She was a half-demon and carried demon characteristics like fangs and the ability to change her nails into claws, and would one day probably grow horns. When she and Keiichi had decided to have a child, both of them were rather unsure about what would happen, or if she could get pregnant at all. Luckily, it turned out that she could and they had Asami, though they were rather surprised by the fact that she seemed to inherit a lot of her mother's demonic traits. She didn't have a few, though, like she didn't have a particularly strong taste for meat like a normal demon would, but there were still quite a few things she did carry.

As for her other family… her relationship with Keiichi couldn't be better. They were getting along fine and there were no problems. The two of them were just happy to be together, and were actually considering having another child. Shion, on the other hand, was also getting along fine. After a while, the girl had managed to accept her feelings for Satoshi, and the two of them got married a few years ago. They had a daughter, a rather young one at that, who was also half-demon. She seemed to get along with her older cousin quite well, and she was sure Asami enjoyed having another half-demon to talk to.

Yes, things had been wonderful since the end of the war a few years back. There had been no signs of violence, and they had gotten rid of the old Watanagashi quick enough. They changed it to a new kind of festival, a festival that was full of fun. Of course, there was still a traditional ceremony, in which the priestess of the Furude family would cut open a futon with a hoe, then allowing the villagers to drift the cotton down the river. It was a reference to the old one, and much less violent. The children enjoyed it quite a bit.

She got up from her futon. There were no matter she needed to take care of right now, so she decided it would be better to spend her free time doing something rather than sit down and think about how things had been over the last few years.

She wandered down the halls of the building and then walked outside, to the garden. Just as she suspected, outside near the flowers was Shion, Satoko, Rika, and Satoshi, along with Shion and Satoshi's four-year-old daughter who was watching them curiously as they tended to the flowers. Shion had taken quite a very big liking to the garden outside, and she would often take care of it. Satoko would often stop by to help as well, and sometimes Rika, who seemed to have decided to visit today.

"You need to be careful when you water the flowers," Satoko explained to her niece proudly. It seemed she enjoyed having someone younger than her to teach for once, as she had been the youngest of the group back then. "You can drown them if you put too much water on the flowers."

She frowned. "Poor flowers. Too much water…"

"Yes, too much water and then they drown. Poor flowers."

Mion approached the group, who instantly turned around when they saw her coming.

"Ah, sis!" cried Shion. "Came to join us?"

Mion nodded her head as she turned around to observe the scene before her. Satoko was holding a watering can in her hand, having stopped watering when the older woman had approached. Satoshi and Rika seemed to have been watching her as she did that, and were now looking at her. Shion was happily greeting her now, probably having been watching before. Her daughter was still looking at the flowers, intrigued.

"How is it going with the flowers?" she asked them.

Shion smiled. "Ah, wonderful. They're all nice and healthy and none of them have died or anything like that. Satoko is teaching Hana how to take care of the flowers. She turned towards her daughter, who was curiously staring at a bright blue flower.

"I like flowers," Hana's tiny voice said bluntly.

Shion giggled. "She likes flowers, in case you haven't noticed," she told her sister.

Mion laughed at that. Just like her mother and father, Hana had taken a liking to the flowers and seemed most interested in them. Satoko smiled down at her niece as she began to sprinkle more water on the flowers slowly, making sure that each flower had enough water, though not too much. Hana seemed intrigued by this action and watched with wide eyes as the plants received water.

"Careful," Satoshi spoke out. "You don't want to over-water it."

Satoko turned around. "I know!" she cried out to her brother, then tilting the watering can a little upwards so that less water was coming out.

"Yeah, because then the poor flowers are going to die," Hana said as she stared at the watering can, watching as water sprinkled down on the thirsty flowers. "And then the flowers are going to be sad because they are dead."

Satoko laughed at the little girl. "Indeed."

"Their mommy will be sad, too, and their daddy. And the big sister will be sad that the little sister died. Poor flowers. Too much water…" she said sadly as she stared at a small flower, one that was currently being sprinkled gently with water. Small drops were rolling off its petals and down into the soil, and Hana watched this carefully.

Shion sighed. "Hana, flowers don't have parents or sisters, and they don't get sad," she explained to her daughter.

Hana turned towards her mother, looking most annoyed. "Yes they do. The mommy flowers spread the seeds and then they grow into baby flowers. And I know the flowers feel sad because they are alive and living things feel sad," she explained to her mother.

Shion patted her daughter on the head. "Flowers are a lot different from humans, Hana. They don't have feelings and they don't have parents."

"Yes they do!" cried Hana again, this time looking very upset. "You just don't understand flowers!"

Suddenly, Rika laughed loudly, causing everyone's attention to shift to her. She was cracking up and seemed to be unable to stop herself, much to everyone's surprise. She had laughed many times before, but never had she laughed this hard. Finally, she stopped, after what seemed like forever, and looked at Shion straight in the eye. "Shion, this whole scene reminds me quite a bit of someone," she said to the younger green-haired twin.

Shion sighed, rubbing her temples. "Oh, I know…"

Hana turned back towards the flowers. "Don't worry, little flower. I understand you and I will be your friend," she told it. "My name is Hana. What is your name?"

The flower, naturally, said nothing.

Everyone laughed.

"Hey, what's so funny?" yelled a very upset Hana. "I was just asking the flower if it needed any friends! Flowers need friends too!"

Satoshi stopped laughing and rubbed her daughter's head, much like how he would rub Satoko's. "Oh Hana, one day, you'll understand…"

Hana crossed her arms, stomped, and said nothing.

That's when they heard footsteps approaching, breaking the remaining laughter, and Mion instantly turned around to find out who it was. Much to her surprise, it was her very own husband along with her daughter, who had probably came when they heard all of the laughter in the air.

"Hey, everyone. What are we laughing at?" Keiichi asked.

"Oh, Hana here just likes flowers. She doesn't understand them as well as she thinks, though," Shion explained to the boy. "Hey—"

She turned around to say something to her daughter, but the girl was already gone. She was running up to her cousin, a happy expression on her face when she spotted her. Asami looked rather surprised as the even younger girl hugged her tightly, beginning to happily cry out her name as she held herself close to her. "Asami! Yay! You came! I'm happy now! Well, I was happy before, but I'm even happier now! Yay!" she cried out to her.

Asami smiled as she spotted her cousin, hugging her right back. "Hi, Hana!" she cried right back. "How are you?"

"I'm happy!" she cried right back. "I was watering the flowers and I learned a lot about them and I'm happy because of that!"

She didn't bother to mention how it had actually been Satoko who was watering the flowers, but no one seemed to really care. Asami seemed to believe her, too. "I want to water the flowers sometime, too!" she cried out.

"Well maybe you can ask sometime, but right now my aunt is watering the flowers so you can't," she said to her. "But we can play!"

"Sounds good! What do you want to play?" she asked.

The younger girl looked puzzled for a few moments, and her face contorted with that emotion as she tried to figure out what she should play. "Uh… I wanna play tag," she decided.

"I love tag! Catch me if you can!" cried Asami.

"Hey, not fair!" complained Hana as she ran after her older cousin.

Mion smiled as she watched her daughter and niece play around in the garden. She had done similar things when she was younger, though of course not as young as they were. In truth, Asami was only two years older than Hana, so the two of them got along very well. Asami found comfort in knowing that she was not the only half-demon in the world, that there was another of her kind. Of course Hana barely took any notice of this and only brought it up rarely, but that didn't stop her from becoming close to her cousin. The two of them sometimes acted like sisters.

"You remember when we used to do that?" Keiichi asked, standing beside his wife.

Mion nodded, recalling memories fondly. "I remember the first time that we played tag. It was a lot of fun."

"I agree. We completely tricked you!" cried Shion.

Keiichi rubbed the back of his head as he recalled such a memory, of how he could never beat the twins at tag or any other kind of game. "Well you know what? I got my revenge. I beat you several times, Mion, even if you beat me several more times," he spoke. Yes, he had managed to beat Mion a few times, but his winning rate was still a lot lower than Mion's. He knew for a fact that he would never be able to surpass that and accepted it, but it didn't stop him from having fun. It wasn't about winning or losing in the end, it was about how much fun you had while playing the game.

"And remember the one time I trapped you all?" Satoko asked. "I set up a huge net in the middle of the forest and you guys fell right into it! It was an obvious trap but apparently not to you guys. Honestly, how did you NOT see the trap?" she asked them.

Rika gently touched her cheek, rubbing it. "…That rock was sharp… I think my cheek was cut for a week."  
>Satoko blinked at her. "What part about it involved a rock?" she asked.<p>

"When the net fell out of the tree, my cheek smashed onto a pointy rock. It hurt," she explained.

Satoko blinked. She hadn't intended for that to happen, and she didn't recall it happening, either. "Ah, that's confusing. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," replied Rika. "That was years ago, anyways."

"Ah, and remember when Mion and Shion pretended like they were 'it' when we were playing Zombie Tag?" asked Satoshi, a smile on his face as he recalled such a memory. "They were the worst kind of tricksters. I think that would be considered cheating…"

Mion shrugged. "Well, nowhere in my book did it say that it was against the rules. Therefore it was perfectly okay for us to do that!" she cried out.

Keiichi smiled as he remembered those words as the words she had said when she had first tricked him during their very first game of Go Fish, where she had told him that it was not against the rules to look at the back of the cards and therefore her form of cheating was perfectly okay. It was the first time they had played a game together, the first time he had discovered her strange tactics to win games. She had used those kinds of tactics throughout her gaming life, and never once did she fail to come up with some winning strategy, though there were some times where they would fail and someone else would win anyways.

"Oh, it was perfectly okay, all right! So was the time that we switched places when one of us was it, and so was the time where we gave each other our answers when we were playing '_Sympathy'_, and so was the time where we have each other our clues when we were playing '_Clue',_ and so was the time where we…" Keiichi had to block out what Shion was saying. There were just too many times and her list seemed to go on forever and ever.

"Those were good times," said Satoshi. "We were able to play and be happy despite all that had happened around us, and we could forget all about that." He turned towards Shion and Mion. "In fact, we were pretty good at forgetting things. I forgot Shion and Mion were demons for a few days until Shion took off her hat one day and I saw the horns. Then I remembered."

"Huh? I'm a demon? Horns? What horns?" Shion said in a faux-oblivious tone, pretending as if she didn't know what the boy was talking about.

"Yeah, I don't know about any horns or demons. What about you, Keiichi?" Mion said to her husband.

Keiichi crossed his arms and stood there for a few good moments before he shook his head. "Nope, I have no idea what you are talking about. I don't recall anything about Mion being a demon, or Shion. And I certainly don't think that there are horns under their hats."

Satoshi just laughed. "Oh yeah, that never happened," he said, knowing fully well that it did but pretending that it did not.

Yes, they were very good at pretending. They pretended that Mion and Shion were human, and now were pretending to forget that their children were half-demon. They pretended like they forgot about the whole dark times, only bringing it up every once in a while. It was hard not to talk about that sometimes, after all.

"…Pretending aside, though. How are things doing with the hat?" Rika asked, her tone suddenly serious.

Mion sighed. "Well, pretty much everyone knows aside from the young ones and the outsiders, but that aside, fine. Asami keeps telling me that people ask her if I'm a demon and she says that I'm not. She gets very upset about it, though," she muttered.

"I have some rumors, but people generally talk about sis more, since she's the head and all that," Shion said as she turned towards her sister, eyeing the hat on her head. "It's not that bad, though. I just pretend they're really rumors but it can be a little hard at times. That aside, things are fine."

Rika nodded. "Just wondering."

"You know, someday, Asami is going to have horns, too," Keiichi spoke as he turned towards his daughter, who was currently chasing around her younger cousin in the distance. "And so will Hana. And then, they'll have to wear hats too. What will people think? Will they think that they are covering their heads because they inherited horns from their mother, which they did, or will they just think they're copying Mion and Shion?"

Shion sighed. "I don't know, Kei-chan. But I plan to give her a hat and hope no one makes rumors. If they do, she'll do something about it," she replied as she watched her daughter carefully.

"…I told Asami not to worry about it. She's a little girl, and she won't have horns for a long time. She's six now, so that means in about eleven years," Mion answered, watching her daughter carefully. "But you know what? When the time comes, I think that we're going to do what we do best."

Satoko smiled mischievously. "You mean…"

"Yes, we pretend they aren't there. We just say we're all human here and be done with it," Mion replied, a grin on her face. "That includes me, Shion, my daughter, and Hana. We're all humans and there are no such thing as the horns."

"Yeah… in fact… why were we even talking about horns?" Satoko asked. "There are no horns here!"

Keiichi laughed. "Yeah, no one has horns!"

They all knew it wasn't true, but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered is that those words had made them believe that it was true, and made them live a happier life. Mion and Shion were better off if they were to just forget that they were demons and all the bad times, and Asami and Hana would be better off if they pretended that they too were human. They wouldn't have to stand out or anything. in their minds, all of this was true, and it was what helped them move forward.

"Hey, anyone up for a game of tag?" Keiichi asked.

Satoshi blinked at him. "We're adults now, Keiichi. Don't you think tag is a little… childish, for us?"

"Ah, who cares?" Keiichi said, turning to the other man. "Listen, we don't need to think about the old times and just remember them fondly! I don't want to just have memories; I want to be able to experience it! So that's why I think that we should play tag, even if it is childish."

Suddenly, a huge smile broke out across Mion's face. "This old man agrees! I'm up for a game. What do you say about that, my partner?" she spoke as she turned towards her sister.

Shion grinned at her sister. "I'm up for that. You guys?"

Satoko suddenly burst out into laughter, to no one's surprise. "Ohohohohoho! Well, I have a few more traps up my sleeve, and we _know _how much I've improved over the last few years…"

Satoshi blinked at his sister. "You've been practicing?"

Satoko nodded. "While no one is around, I set up traps in the forest."

"That's why a frying pan hit me on the head yesterday…" Rika said under her breath, though everyone heard it.

"Well, in any case, I'm in, too. I'd like to play again with everyone," Satoshi said, turning to the others. "The only one left is Rika."

Everyone turned to the blue-haired girl, awaiting her response. She said nothing for a little while, and everyone stood there in anticipation. Suddenly, a smile broke out across her face, one that reminded everyone of the old times. "Who would I be to say no to such an offer? Besides, I've had this secret craving inside me to go ahead and start playing games with you all again. I'm definitely up for it."

"Then it's decided!" cried Mion out loud, in a way that reminded everyone of how she used to do it when she was younger. "We're going to play another game! Instead of tag, though, I say we play hide and go seek!" She turned towards her husband, a smirk on her face. "And I call Kei-chan for being it!"

Keiichi looked surprised. "Why me?"

"Because!" Mion responded. "Do I need a reason?"

"I agree with Mion!" cried Satoko.

"Same," Rika said.

"It'll be just like old times!" Shion spoke with a smile.

Keiichi grumbled.

"Then it's decided! Let's go!"

The adults broke out into a run as Keiichi stood behind, covering his eyes and counting. He did not know why, but he was usually the one chosen to be "it" in these sort of games. He counted down from thirty, soon reaching to one, and then to zero.

"Here I come!" declared Keiichi.

Everyone was already hidden by then. Mion found herself in a particularly good hiding space, in a bush somewhere in the forest. She was ducking down, hoping that the little bit of her green hair that was showing would blend in to the bush. It was perfect. The woman watched with narrow eyes as her husband looked about the garden. He eventually managed to find Rika and Satoshi in easy spots, but he was unable to find her, even as she stared out at him.

_This is perfect. I'll win once again. Ehehe…_

Suddenly, there was a crash, and Mion felt a body ram into her own. She was startled by this, and looked down to find her daughter, who was now rubbing her head.

"Ow…"

"Asami?" Mion spoke in disbelief.

Asami blinked up at her mother, surprise in her eyes. "Mommy! What are you doing hiding in the bush?"

Mion held a finger to her lips, silencing the girl. "Mommy is playing hide and go seek right now, and she can't be seen! Your Daddy is looking carefully," she explained silently to the girl.

Asami looked shocked. "Wah… Mommy, why are you playing hide and go seek? You are an adult!" she pointed out.

"Who cares? I can still have fun. Now quiet, Daddy will find us."

She stood there watching as Keiichi came closer, scratching his head as he looked about. He couldn't see her, even though a bit of her hair was sticking out. It seemed that having green hair had its advantages. Keiichi couldn't find her here, that was for sure.

"Daddy!" Asami suddenly cried. "Mommy is right here!"

Keiichi whipped around, instantly spotting his wife. He smirked as he walked over to her, tagging her with his hand.

"Got you!"

Mion turned to her daughter, disbelief in her eyes.

"Asami, I said not to say a word!" she cried out.

Asami smiled. "Well, I had to go anyways and the movement would probably make Daddy look this way. So it would be the same if I called out!" she explained. "Now I have to go chase Hana. See you!"

The girl rushed off without another word, much to Mion's dismay.

"Found you. Mion. Now help me find the others. Satoshi has his eye out for Satoko and Rika was looking for you, so you can find Shion. You know her well enough to know where she's hiding, right?" Keiichi spoke to his wife.

However, Mion looked annoyed. "I call that that didn't count! I get to hide again!"  
>Keiichi shook his head. "No. Nowhere in my rules does it say that getting help form people outside the game is against the rules, and in fact, I think children do it often. Therefore, it's okay for me to do that!" he cried out, mimicing the girl's words.<p>

Mion didn't look too happy about having her own words used on her. "Well then… nowhere in the book does it say that I can't hide again! See ya!" she cried out as she began to run off.

"Hey, wait, it does say that in the rules. Come right back here!" cried Keiichi as he began to chase after his wife.

Mion turned around to smirk at him. "Catch me if you can!" she yelled out.

"Wait, Mion, this isn't tag! Stop!"

"Too bad, Kei-chan!"

But it seemed as if his wife had no intention of stopping, so he ended up chasing after her, anyways. She was too fast, though, and he eventually found himself growing tired. That didn't stop him. He was Sonozaki Keiichi, and he was not one to give up on such a thing. He needed to beat her again! He chased after her, running through the gardens determinedly as he trailed behind his own wife, who was very fast, to say the least.

It was just like old times. Even if they had grown up, and even if there were bad rumors about Mion and the hat, they could still be happy and play as adults. They were best at pretending. They could still pretend that they were kids and that there were no rumors. That was the way they achieved happiness before, after all. Pretending.

And now, even though they were grown up, it seemed as if that didn't change. They were still pretending and playing games. Even if they had children of their own now, they were still acting quite like a child would. But that didn't matter to them. All that mattered to them was that they were happy.

And that was certainly true right now.

Even if it involved pretending, and even if it involved acting like children, even if their past had been filled with death and darkness, they were happier than anyone else in the world. And to them, that was all that mattered.

_Fin._

**~~~~X~~~~**

**Crimso's Corner V.2: Final Edition.**

…**The end. Yup. There's no more. BFB is officially over. Man, I feel like I'm having déjà vu. This reminds me of when I finished GED. In fact, if I ever finish a fanfiction again, which I hope to, I feel like I will be having the same feeling all over again.**

**That being said, I want to take a few moments to thank my reviewers. Reviews help and they have certainly led me to updating more and continuing with this fanfiction. So thank you if you have reviewed! I can't thank you all, but I can mention a few of you that have been rather consistant with reviews. So thank you **_**Uryuu-Nipaa **_**for being so constant with reviewing and giving me some nice comments, **_**Michael S. Repton**_** for also being so constant with reviews and providing me with helpful criticism (that chapter will be fixed!), **_**triple baka **_**for being rather constant and reviewing several of my chapters, **_**Himewolf398**_** for also being constant and having nice comments, and **_**Killerbee77 **_**for reviewing constantly, and I can accept the fact that he was busy so he has a reason for not reviewing a few chapters and I respect that.**

**Okay, so you know I don't like asking for reviews anymore, but here, I really want you to review the whole story. I have an outline for you, but you don't have to follow it. I would prefer if you did, though. It would make me very happy if you did review.**

_**One: Who was your favorite character from the original Higurashi series, and why? **_**This is tricky. I'm not going to ask you for how similar they were to the original because their circumstances make it hard, but instead, just who was your favorite and why in general.**

_**Two: Who was your least favorite from the original Higurashi series, and why? **_**Self-Explanatory. Once again, I'm not talking about how close I was to the original character. Just in general, due to the AUness.**

_**Three: Who was your favorite OC and why? **_**Self-explanatory. I'm talking about structure this time, and not their actions. If you thought Makoto was a pretty cool girl for being king and all (just an example), that's cool, but I want to know which one was designed the best.**

_**Four: Who was your least favorite OC and why?**_** Self-Explanatory. Again, structure. Takeru was a pretty terrible guy for the things he did but that's not what I'm talking about. Of course, you can say him if you think that.**

_**Five: What was your favorite part, and what was your least favorite?**_**Self-Explanatory. Please tell me what I should fix. And I know, Chapter twenty-one. Don't mention that because I am already aware of it.**

_**Six**_**: **_**What did you think of the plot/concept of BFB?**_** I didn't ask this for GED, but since BFB is pretty original and I may rewrite it someday I want to know what level of interest you had in plot/concept and if you like it or not.**

**Whew, that's a lot to ask of you guys, and I am sorry. Also, talk a little about the epilogue. Not much, just a little. I want to know how that was, too. Once again, you don't need to follow it, I'd just prefer if you did because I need feedback.**

**And now is my final goodbye. I don't have much to say here besides thank you for reading and reviewing if you did, and I love you all for it. BFB was a huge part of my everyday life staring from when it was published and it is sad to see it go. Moving it from "In-Progress" to "Complete" will be tough, but I have done it before and it is time to do so a second time. Thank you all for reading and hopefully enjoying!  
>I will be back soon.<strong>

**~For the last time, Crimso**


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